Sins of Our Fathers
by FaithinBones
Summary: Max discovers his son, his daughter and her partner are in danger. Max sets up an operation to look after his children and Seeley Booth. With the help from someone from Booth's past, Max tries to be there for his children whether they like it or not. (Starts in Season 2)
1. Chapter 1

(After The Girl in Suite 2103 - Season 2)

This is a new story. I hope you like it. I've been working on it for a couple of weeks. I plan to update it once a week on Tuesdays.

I don't own Bones.

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When he'd moved to D.C. he'd spent days searching for him. He'd finally found where the younger man lived and soon found out that except for running a few times during the week, the FBI Agent did not keep a predictable schedule. He came and went at all hours of the day. Since it had been his intention to just watch the younger man and not approach him, he'd decided to be at the park every morning just as the sun started to rise. He always carried a chess set and a bag holding a small breakfast sandwich. Taking possession of a cement table at the front of the park near the running path, he could watch the Federal Agent if he ran that day.

He'd been observing the younger man for three weeks when one morning a stranger sat down across from him.

Smiling, he waved his hand over this chessboard and asked, "Want a game?"

Shaking his head slowly the stranger leaned menacingly towards him and asked, "No, what I want to know is why the Hell are you stalking Agent Booth."

Startled, he smiled and said, "Whose Agent Booth?"

Shaking his head, the stranger frowned, "You're always in this park just as the sun comes up. You wait for Agent Booth to do his run. If he doesn't run you leave at 10 a.m. after a few games of chess. If Agent Booth runs, you leave as soon as he leaves the park. You've been doing it for three weeks now."

Shrugging his shoulders, he replied, "I don't see how any of this is your business."

Scowling, the stranger exclaimed, "I'm making it my business."

Glancing at the Park entrance, Joseph decided that the stranger sitting across from him was a policeman, "I'm just watching my son. There's no law that says I can't."

The stranger glaring at Joseph, asked, "Could you show me some ID?"

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Joseph withdrew his wallet and from that his Driver's License. Handing it over, Joseph kept his hand held out to make sure the ID was returned to him.

Satisfied, the stranger handed the license back to Joseph. "Why are you watching Agent Booth?"

Sighing, Joseph replied, "Well since my business is such a hot topic then you can add this little tidbit to your collection, I just like to check in and make sure he's alright. He has a very dangerous job and I just want to make sure that my boy is ok. I'm not hurting anyone and I'm not bothering him."

Curious, the stranger observed, "He runs by you every day and he never says anything to you."

Laughing bitterly, Joseph shook his head, "My boy hasn't seen me since he was ten years old. He probably doesn't really remember what I look like. It's not like we look anything alike. He actually looks like my wife's father. In fact, it's kind of scary how much he looks like that old man."

Nodding his head, the stranger watched Agent Booth enter the park and start his run. "He's running today. He may not have heard the news yet. When he does, he'll cut his run short."

Shaking his head, Joseph asked, "What are you talking about and why are you bothering me anyway? Are you FBI like my son?"

Shaking his head, Max laughed quietly, "No. He's my daughter's partner. A man was killed in her parking garage this morning and I'm sure your son is going to get a phone call about it. The guy that was murdered was a button man for the Mara Muerte gang."

Shaking his head, Joseph asked, "What's a button man?"

Smiling, Max replied, "A hit man, an assassin, a murderer, someone who kills people for a living."

Surprised, Joseph asked, "Why was a hit man killed in your daughter's parking garage? How do you know about it? Who the hell are you anyway?"

Leaning back on the bench, Max put his hands in the pockets of his jacket, "That guy had been stalking my daughter for a couple of days. One of my guys told me about it and we had a little talk with him this morning. The guy confessed that his Jefe had ordered him to kill my daughter; but, to make it look like an accident. I guess my daughter's weird work hours caused him some problems."

His eyes large, Joseph asked, "Why didn't you call the cops if your daughter was in danger?"

Shaking his head, Max replied, "You must be kidding. They don't provide body guards for people whose lives are in danger. They'd just take a report and then nothing would be done about it . . . No, me and my guy took care of it our way. Before he went to his great beyond the assassin told me that a hit has been ordered on your son too. I've had a guy watching Agent Booth and my daughter ever since I heard they had a mix up earlier this year with the leader of Mara Muerte. My guys figured out you were stalking Agent Booth and I decided to see why."

Disbelief in his eyes, Joseph leaned away from the table, "Why are you telling me all of this stuff? You can't just tell me you killed someone and then walk away. I might call the cops. Are you going to kill me?"

Irritated, Max replied, "No dumb ass, I'm telling you this to let you know your son's life is in danger and I want your help to prevent him from being murdered. I told you what I told you to help you understand that very dangerous people are after my daughter and your son. Do you plan to help me protect him and my daughter or are you just going to stand by while someone tries to kill your boy?"

A little stunned, Joseph replied, "I'm not a cop. What can I do?"

Sighing, Max replied, "You can do what you're doing right now. The only difference is I'm going to give you a cell phone. If you see any suspicious people hanging around your son in this park then I want you to call a number I'm going to give you and you tell the person who answers the phone what you know about it. I'm not asking you to get blood on your hands. I'm just asking you to help me protect your son."

Puzzled, Joseph asked, "Why are you so interested in protecting my son if you aren't FBI?"

Smiling, Max replied, "He works with my daughter and they're friends. My baby doesn't have a lot of friends and I'm going to make sure she keeps every one that she has."

Worried, Joseph hunched his shoulders, "What if I don't want to work with a murderer? I'm an honest citizen. Will you kill me if I refuse to help you? What if I decide to call the cops on you?"

Studying Joseph, Max asked, "Is your son's life of so little value? Don't you love your son? Wouldn't you do anything to make sure he's safe? Is it your idea to just stand by and clap when he's killed? Maybe have a little party to celebrate?"

Outraged, Joseph stood up and loomed over Max, "I love my son, asshole. He can hate me all he wants; but, I love him." Sitting back down, Joseph calmed down, "I'll help you."

Smiling, Max replied, "Wise choice."

Feeling a cold wind run by his back, Joseph shivered. Staring at his co-conspirator, Joseph asked, "I'm Joseph Booth. What am I supposed to call you?'

Smiling Max replied, "Oh . . . you can call me Mickey Souris."

Snorting, Joseph asked, "You're kidding?"

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Does this story sound interesting? Let me know if you think you'd like to read this story. Thanks.

A/N: Our fathers have sinned and are not and we have borne their iniquities. (Lamentations 5:7)


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for giving me story a chance. It is a little different from my usual stories; so, I appreciate your reviews.

I don't own Bones.

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The next two weeks had been fairly uneventful. There had been an investigation into the death of the gang member in the parking garage where Brennan lived; but, no one claimed to know what the man was doing there. Booth had confronted Ramon Ortez; but, Ortez had claimed that he didn't know anything about it. Booth had reminded Ortez that if anything happened to his partner Ortezs' family would be holding a funeral for him shortly afterward.

Max met with Joseph a couple times a week in the park and they both watched Booth do his run. Max had originally quit his job on the West Coast and had moved back to the D.C. area with some of his crew to keep an eye on his daughter and her partner because Ruth's body had been found and the FBI was investigating her death. It had frightened him that the wrong people were going to find out that he was still alive and possibly harm his children and his daughter's partner because he wasn't dead like he was supposed to be. He had some of his men monitoring Temperance, Russ and Booth to make sure that didn't happen. When he'd found out about Ortez that had just added to his worries.

Max had let his men know that he wanted to know if familiar faces were stalking the partners or Russ. So far, the men observing Temperance and Russ hadn't reported anyone taking an undue interest in them; but, the same thing couldn't be said of Agent Booth. The shadow assigned to Booth reported two different men stalking Booth right after the body had been found in Temperance's parking garage and even though they didn't look like gang members, something didn't feel right.

Steve Jackson, Booth's shadow finally called Max to let him know that the two men that had been stalking the Agent were acting very strangely and he thought something was going to happen soon. Max deciding that it was probably time to intervene arranged to meet Joseph in the park the next morning earlier than usual.

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Booth had gone for a run. He'd been a little lax about running for the last week; but, with his work schedule he never knew when he'd have the time. Running was freeing for him. Even though his feet weren't in the best shape, he usually just ignored any pain he had and ran as far and as fast has he could. He liked to feel the wind in his face, seeing the trees and the grass whip by him as he ran. Sometimes he ran in the rain. He didn't do it very often; but, when he did, he loved the feel of the water running over his body as he ran the paths by himself.

He'd just finished his run for the day and was walking out of the park when he heard a shot and felt a blow to his shoulder. Falling back, Booth found himself staring at the sky overhead and wondering why. Trying to sit up, Booth felt hands on him trying to keep him from moving. Not sure why, he looked up with puzzlement at the man leaning over him. He was talking to someone else; but, Booth wasn't sure what they were saying. He found it odd that the man was crying. Why the stranger was crying didn't make sense to him. Nothing was making sense.

Shaking his head slowly, Booth tried to ask why they were holding him down; but, he was too tired to bother. Curious, Booth tried to move his hand up to feel his shoulder, it felt numb and very wet and he was curious as to why; but, someone held his hands down at his sides and kept repeating words he didn't understand. Staring at the blue sky, Booth wondered why he never looked up more often.

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When the police arrived on the scene, the policemen found an injured man lying on the ground and two men trying to help him. One had a t-shirt pressed against the injured man's shoulder and the other one held the injured man's arms down by his side. The injured man had attempted to sit up several times and the Good Samaritans had wanted him to lie still until help arrived.

Looking up as the police officers jogged over, the older man holding his t-shirt against the injured man, grunted, "We've called an ambulance. The 911 operator thought it might be here in 10 but that was about 15 minutes ago. I don't know what the hold up is; but, they need to hurry."

A siren warbling in the distance, Officer Cole replied, "Sounds like its coming. What happened?"

The older man, pressing his shirt tighter against the victim's shoulder, answered, "My buddy and I play chess here every morning when the weather is good. We see this guy jog at least a few days a week. This morning, we saw him end his run and start to leave the park and he fell. I didn't hear anything; but, my hearing is shot all to hell. Mickey here he said he heard a shot. We ran over to this guy and saw blood and we knew he'd been shot. We called 911 and we've been waiting for help."

Officer Miller watched both men trying to keep the injured man from moving, "You want us to take over?"

Shaking his head, the older man replied, "Nah, just make sure the EMTs finds us soon."

Officer Miller nodding his head, stood up and informed his partner, "I'm going to go out into the street and wave the ambulance down."

Officer Cole nodded his head and then knelt down next to the injured man, "Hey buddy, do you know what happened? Do you understand me? Can you tell me who you are?"

Feeling as if he was in a fog, Booth just stared at the sky and wondered why so many people were keeping him from leaving the park.

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Once Booth was loaded into the ambulance and it pulled away, Officers Cole and Miller took statements, "So, I need you to tell me who you are and give me some contact information."

Nodding his head, the older man replied, "I'm Edwin Joseph Cabina, I actually don't have a place to live right now. I'm staying with my friend here, Mickey."

Taking his cue, Mickey smiled, "Yeah, my name is Mickey Souris. I have a place about a five minute walk from here." Taking the notebook from Officer Cole, Mickey wrote down his address and phone number.

Officer Cole watching Mickey jot down his information turned to Joseph, "So you didn't see what happened?"

Shaking his head, Joseph sadly replied, "Nah, we just saw him fall."

Officer Cole smiled, "You two sure are pretty cool about all of this. Usually people are pretty emotional about stuff like this. The sight of blood shakes up most people."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph quietly replied, "We were in 'Nam. We both saw enough death over there to last a life time. Believe me, we've seen a lot worse."

Taking the notebook back from Mickey, Officer Miller remarked, "You'll probably be contacted soon."

Joseph watching the ambulance pull away, responded, "Not a problem. I really hope that guy is ok. He seems like a nice young man. He always waves to us when he passes us by."

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Interested? Please review my story. Thanks.

I know Booth's father is Edwin Booth. I'm just assuming that his Christine name is Joseph like Seeley's and I like the name. So for the purposes of my story, Booth's father's name is Edwin Joseph Booth.

A/N: Cabina is Italian for booth. Souris is French for mouse.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for reading my story. The reviews have been wonderful.

I don't own Bones.

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Sitting in the waiting room, Cam was approached by Andrew Hacker, "Cam, I thought I'd let you know that we finally contacted Booth's grandfather and he's on the way in. He should be here in a couple of hours."

Nodding her head, Cam attempted to smile, "Good, I've already called Booth's brother, Jared; but, he's overseas and he can't come. I'm going to be calling him hourly with updates."

Sitting down next to Cam, Hacker leaned back in the chair, "This whole thing just doesn't make a lot of sense. Booth was shot just outside the park entrance near his apartment. The only witnesses told the police that all they saw was Booth fall down. They said they didn't see the shooters and they said Booth didn't say anything to them. They called an ambulance and waited until the police and an ambulance came and then after that they disappeared. The home address and phone number those two guys gave the police doesn't exist. I'm pretty sure the names they gave to the police are false too. For sure one of the names is."

Curious, Cam asked, "How do you know?"

With a sad smile, Hacker responded, "Mickey Souris?"

Rolling her eyes, Cam remarked, "I take it the police officers taking down the contact information didn't speak French?"

Shaking his head, Hacker sighed, "No. I mean Mickey Mouse? Really? Then someone called the Hoover to report that Agent Booth was shot; but, they didn't leave a name or a contact number. They just said to get over here as soon as we could."

Staring at Hacker, Cam informed him, "Booth is out of surgery and his surgeon told us that he's going to be alright. We should be able to see Booth in a little while. Dr. Brennan went down to the cafeteria to get some coffee. She should be back in a few minutes."

Staring at the TV mounted on the wall, Hacker stated, "This has to be connected to that murdered gang banger that was found in the parking garage where Dr. Brennan lives. That guy was connected to the Mara Muerte gang and I know for a fact that Booth and Dr. Brennan had a run in with the leader of that gang earlier this year. Booth was given the case of the dead gang banger and then two weeks later he's shot. I'm hoping Booth saw the shooters because right now the only witnesses that we did have vanished without a trace. We've got BOLOs out on those guys; but, I'm not holding my breath. I've sent some men to bring Ramon Ortez in to the Hoover for an interview; but, right now we don't have any proof saying that he's involved in this. It's all just conjecture."

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Watching the road carefully while taking a phone call, Max murmured his thanks and then ended his call. Placing the disposable phone in his pocket, Max glanced at Joseph, "Ok, my guy was in the waiting room with Seeley's people and he heard that your son is ok. The surgery was successful and he's going to be ok."

Nodding his head, Joseph took his St. Christopher medal out of his shirt and kissed it.

Curious, Joseph turned to Max and asked, "So, why didn't you want to tell the police what we saw. Your man said he saw the tag numbers of the truck the shooters used and we have the make and model. The police could pick those guys up and they'd have Seeley's shooters."

Shaking his head, Max glanced at Joseph and then back at the road. "One of my guys followed them and saw them ditch it. They burned it before getting into another car. We have the tag numbers from the second car and with a little help from someone I know at the DMV I now know who the owner of the second car is. We are going to be paying the owner of that second car a little visit this evening."

Staring at the road ahead, Joseph grumbled, "I don't know why we just don't let the cops handle this and really why not let me tell them who we were and why the false address? I mean you told me to do it and I went along with it; but still, I want to know why we're doing this."

Seeing the uncertainty in his companion's face, Max sighed, found a parking space on the side of the street and pulled into it. Parking the car, Max then turned and looked at Joseph. "Ok, first, you're complaining a little too much about the false names. You're the one who didn't want Seeley to know you were around. Did you really want a report to say that one of the witnesses was Edwin Joseph Booth?"

Shaking his head slowly, Joseph replied, "No, I don't want Seeley to know I'm around. I had my chance to be a father to him when he was young and I ruined it. I'm not looking for a second chance. I just want my boy to be safe." Laughing, Joseph stared at the liquor store across the street. "Edwin Booth is dead. He has been for a long time. I'm just Joseph most of the time. Joseph Booth when the government insists. . . I'm in the twelve step program now. I'm supposed to ask for his forgiveness; but, I just can't do it. Maybe if I help you, that can be a substitute because I can't talk to him. I just can't do it. Besides, he'd probably kick my ass if I tried."

Smiling, Max remarked, "So I guess you're Joseph Cabina when the cops are nosy."

Smirking, Joseph responded, "Cabina is Italian for booth. My mother was Italian/American."

Watching a truck drive slowly past them, Max frowned, "Ok, I really need to talk to you about something. This is a lot more complicated than it might appear. Let me tell you a story so you can see what's really going on and just how much danger your son is really in."

Nodding his head, Joseph responded, "Go ahead and explain it to me because right now, your paranoia doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense."

Sighing, Max began, "In 1991 my wife and I had to disappear. I mean really disappear. We were sighted by a man that wanted us dead and because the situation was so dangerous we had to leave our fifteen year old daughter and nineteen year old son behind. It almost killed us to do that; but, we were afraid if the man looking for us found us and our kids then they would be murdered along with us. As it was he managed to find my wife and me and we barely got away. My wife, Ruth died two years later. It was sudden and I don't know why she left me but she did. Anyway the reason we had to run was because in the 70's my wife and I fell in with some very dangerous people. We were looking to make a few big scores and retire and we really did make a hell of a lot of money; but, in the end it turned around and bit us on the ass. We accidentally stole something that belonged to a murdered FBI agent. It was hot stuff and could bring down very important people in very high places. When we realized what we had done we ran. I mean we ran as fast as we could. We changed our names and everything thing about us. We went straight and tried to keep out of the eye of the law. The only problem was, at that point we had our former gang looking for us and those very important people looking for us and they all wanted us found very badly."

"In 1991 one of our old gang caught sight of us and we played hell getting away and leading him away from our kids. My wife and I reinvented ourselves again and we stayed hidden. She died and then I started hearing stories. My old gang was being killed off one by one until finally there was just me and a mechanic named Vince McVicar left. I later found out that the only reason he was alive was because he helped those very important people looking for us. Those very important and very dangerous people killed off my gang and if they'd found me then I would have been next. They still want their stuff back but they'll settle for my dead body if they have to."

Shaking his head, Joseph complained, "What the hell does this have to do with my boy being in danger?"

Grimacing, Max asked, "Not exactly a patient man are you? . . . The body of my wife was found five months ago. When that happened the big bad people I mentioned knew it too. Seeley Booth and my daughter started investigating my wife's death and those very bad people didn't like it. The more those kids dug up the more nervous the big bads became; so the big bads started keeping track of my kids and your son. If that wasn't bad enough, Seeley and Temperance then stirred up a hornet's nest when they went toe to toe with the leader of the Mara Muerte gang. That meant that they had gang bangers interested in them as well as the big bads. I needed to protect my daughter and son so I moved back to this area to keep an eye on things. I had some guys in the area that knew me and I hired them to watch my kids and then your son. I told you about the gang banger stalking my daughter and how I got rid of him. Well, now you know that your son and my daughter are in really serious danger. I'm not sure who was behind the shooting this morning; but, we are going to find out and we are going to fix this problem. You and me. Me because my daughter and son mean the world to me and they're all I have left and you because you say you love your son. . . Now are you really going to help me or are you just going to stand by and see your son eventually murdered?"

Angry, Joseph replied, "I'll help you. I'll help you because even though my son despises me, I love him. He and his brother and my Dad are all that I have left and the only one still talking to me is my Dad. I brought all of this shit on myself and I don't have a right to complain about it and I won't. I'm old, I'm sick and I'm tired of this life. I'll help you because I need to make sure my boy is ok. I need to make sure that he has a chance at a happy life. . . I don't give a damn if I end up in jail after all of this you know. I'm dying anyways. Slowly but surely, I'm going to die. I got maybe five or six years left and then it will be over; so, really, I don't have a damn thing to lose. I'll help you protect my son and your daughter."

Smiling, Max reached over and patted Joseph's shoulder, "I'm sorry to hear you're sick; but, I'm glad you'll help me. We may have to get our hands dirty but in the end our kids are going to be freed from these psychos."

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What do you think of my story so far?


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for all of the encouraging reviews. This story is darker than most of my stories so I appreciate it that you're giving it a chance.

I don't own Bones.

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Two bodies were found in an abandoned warehouse near the home of Ramon Ortez. They'd been gutted and left hanging by their wrists. The police had received a tip and had descended upon the warehouse at 3 in the morning. Their bodies had been taken to the city morgue and their families had been notified of their deaths. Ramon Ortez's inside man in the police precinct let his childhood friend know about the murders just in case the men belonged to him.

Ramon had been outraged that a murder like that had been committed in his neighborhood and he'd tried his best to find out what had happened. His efforts were no more fruitful than the police. All he'd been able to find out was that the two men killed had been the men he'd sent to kill Agent Seeley Booth. That they had failed was bad enough. That they had been murdered just three blocks from where Ramon's family home was, was intolerable.

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The day after his surgery, Booth woke up to find Brennan, Cam and his grandfather sitting in his room waiting for him to wake up.

Groaning, Booth opened his eyes and then closed them again. Brennan, the first to leave her chair, leaned over Booth, "Booth are you awake?"

Peeping out of his half closed eyes, Booth groaned again, "What the hell happened? Where am I?"

Placing her hand on his arm, Brennan explained, "You were shot yesterday morning right outside the entrance to the park where you jog."

Puzzled, Booth opened his eyes all of the way, "I was shot?"

Nodding her head, Brennan asked, "Did you see who shot you?"

Shaking his head slowly, Booth murmured, "No. . . . no. . ."

Watching his face, Brennan realized that Booth had fallen back asleep. Turning to Cam, Brennan sighed, "If he doesn't know who shot him then we have no leads at all. That bullet the surgeon took out of his shoulder was badly mangled."

Nodding her head, Cam replied, "Maybe Booth will remember something we can use when he wakes back up."

Staring at Booth's still form, Brennan responded, "I hope so."

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Two days later, three events occurred. Two of those events occurred within six hours of each other and were public knowledge. First Ramon Ortez was found dead and second Special Agent Seeley Booth was released from the hospital.

Ramon had been murdered and found with his throat cut in an alley two blocks from his home. The city police had been called to the crime scene and Ramon's body had been taken to the city morgue. There was no forensic evidence to point to the killer.

Seeley Booth was released to the care of his grandfather and would stay with him for six weeks while he recuperated.

The third event occurred within an hour of Ramon Ortez's death. Ramon's lieutenant, Jorge Sanchez had received a phone call from someone unknown to him. The man had told Jorge about Ramon's death and that if anyone from Mara Muerte ever contacted Agent Seeley Booth or Dr. Temperance Brennan for any reason Jorge would die along with his lieutenant and his brother Harry. There would be no second warning and even inadvertent contact could cause Jorge, his lieutenant, Lewis and his brother the loss of their lives. The new Jefe of Mara Muerte took the threat very seriously and warned his people to stay away from the partners. He didn't know why Ramon had cared about the FBI Agent and the doctor and he didn't care. Ramon had his secrets and Jorge had his.

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Joseph was sitting in the Denny's eating lunch when Max dropped by. Looking up from his newspaper, Joseph stared at Max as Max sat down across from him.

Smiling, Max commented, "Relax. My guy at the coroner's office said that they couldn't find anything to use. I told you I knew what I was doing. Now just relax. Now we only have to worry about the big bads."

Shaking his head, Joseph replied, "Did anyone ever tell you that you're a crazy son-of-a-bitch?"

Laughing, Max looked at the menu and then motioned for the waitress to come take his order, "More than once."

After placing his order, Max watched the waitress leave. "So, I don't need any help right now. My guys and me are watching the kids to make sure that the big bads leave them alone. If I do need your help, I know where to find you."

Nodding his head slowly, Joseph remarked, "I called Dad and he said Seeley is doing really good. He'll be back to work in a couple of weeks or so. My boy should take more time off; but, he isn't like that. Dad says that Seeley is already pestering him to let him go home."

The waitress, placing Max's iced tea in front of him, smiled and walked away. Max admiring her lovely form smiled and then turned to Joseph, "Tempe's back at work. My guy says she works too many hours; but, there isn't anything I can do about it. My guy says that the only one that seems to be able to get her to go home at a decent hour is your son and he has to go to the Jeffersonian to get her. If he doesn't show up she stays 'til midnight or later."

Nodding his head, Joseph replied, "My boy is a very kind person. He always has been."

Curious, Max asked, "How come your son hates you? You said you haven't seen him since he was ten."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph stared at Max, "What the hell, why not? I used to drink too much. I still drink once in awhile; but, not like I used to. I told you I'm trying the twelve step program; but sometimes I fall off the wagon. When I drink I turn mean. When I drink too much I turn into a damned monster. I used to . . . uh . . . I did things that my boy has a right to hate me for. I can't make up for what I did and I don't ever expect my boy to forgive me. If it was me I wouldn't. . . . Well, anyway, I'm dying because my liver is failing. I did it to myself and no one else is to blame. The only thing I can do is watch my boy and maybe help you while I can to protect him; so, if you need my help you let me know. I made out my life insurance to Seeley so at least I have a small legacy for him when I die."

Puzzled, Max remarked, "You have two sons."

Nodding, Joseph replied, "I never laid a hand on Jared. Seeley made sure of that. Also, Jared looks like me and I just . . . I just never hit him. Seeley looks just like my father-in-law. God I hated that old man. I took that hate out on my boy when I was drunk. I'm not making excuses mind you. I'm just telling you how it was and how it is. I owe Seeley something and an insurance policy is all I have to give."

Shaking his head, Max responded, "Well, I haven't got anything to say to you about it. I abandoned my kids when they were teenagers. They hate me as much as Seeley hates you. We both screwed up. . . . Our fathers have sinned and are not and we have borne their iniquities, Lamentations 5:7."

Nodding his head, Joseph exclaimed, "Amen."

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What do you think of my story so far? Any good? More to come. This isn't the end.


	5. Chapter 5

(Aliens is a Space Ship)

Thanks for reading my story. I appreciate the support.

I don't own Bones.

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All he'd done was go back to Seattle to check on his property, do a small job to keep his good standing with the union and pay a visit to Cassie Underwood. She'd told him that if he didn't come back and take care of business he might not have any business to take care of; so, that's what he'd done. It was the wrong thing to do at the wrong time and he didn't know how to fix it.

Arriving at Boyd's apartment, Max found himself pounding on the door as hard as he could. Boyd, exasperated, flung the door open only to find a livid Max in front of him. Stepping back from the rage staring at him, Boyd held his hands up palm first, "This is not my fault, Max, damn it. You know I can't hang out in the Jeffersonian parking garage every day and that's where she was grabbed."

Rushing into the room and grabbing Boyd by his shirt front, Max raged, "Have they found her yet?"

Shaking his head, Max's Boyd replied, "No, that partner of hers and those squints of his are trying to find her; but, so far they haven't had any success. Max, please you're hurting me."

Pushing Boyd away from him, Max placed his hands on his hips, "Who the hell is this Gravedigger? Why did he kidnap my baby?"

Rubbing his chest, Boyd tried to make himself remain calm, "I told you on the phone, he's a dangerous loon. He kidnaps someone, buries them somewhere, he makes a onetime demand . . ."

Interrupting his employee, Max snarled, "Don't repeat what you've told me, tell me something new, asshole."

Nodding his head, Boyd continued, "Dr. Brennan and that partner of hers must have come close to finding out his identity or something because he kidnapped her from the parking garage this morning. Agent Booth has been talking to everyone he can connected to the Gravedigger and the squints are all at the Jeffersonian trying to figure out where she is. Larry says no one over there has even eaten since she was taken. They're all running scared over there."

Trying to slow his heart rate, Max asked, "Do we know who this Gravedigger is?"

Shaking his head slowly, Boyd replied, "Not yet, I got guys looking around, asking questions; but, whoever this Gravedigger is, he's careful. We can't find anyone who even has a guess who he is."

Crossing his arms, Max replied, "The guy has to have a partner. He can't be doing this by himself."

Nodding his head, Boyd replied, "Carl thinks so too. He's pouring over old police reports about the Gravedigger right now. We're trying to find him Boss, so is Agent Booth and those squints over at the Jeffersonian. We're trying."

Feeling his blood turn cold, Max ordered, "Try harder."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

His man working at the Jeffersonian, Larry Bingham had called him to let him know that the squints had figured out where his daughter was and they, Agent Booth and some FBI agents were on the way to save her and Jack Hodgins. Hearing the news, Max had wanted to rush to where his daughter was; but, Larry had pointed out that it was an abandoned rock quarry and showing up there would probably get him arrested as the kidnapper.

Sighing, Max had agreed to stay where he was and wait for news. An hour after Larry had told him the good news he'd called back with great news. Temperance had been saved. She and Jack Hodgins were unharmed. Not a religious man, Max had knelt in the middle of his hotel room and prayed anyways. Sometimes you just had to acknowledge that miracles happen.

Later that afternoon, Boyd had called him to let him know that his daughter and her partner were at St. Patrick's. If he wanted to see her then here was his chance to do it in a quiet setting.

Surprised, Max asked, "What do you mean she's at St. Patrick's? Tempe doesn't believe in God."

Shrugging his shoulders, Boyd replied, "How would I know? Her partner is Catholic. He's the one praying, she's just sitting there looking around."

Ending the call, Max hurried down to the lobby, caught a cab right outside of the hotel and paid the cabby extra to get him to St. Patrick's as fast as he could.

Arriving at the church, Max hurried up the stairs and into the building. Spotting his daughter and Seeley Booth near the front of the church Max sat down next to Boyd in the middle of the church.

"How long have they been here?"

Glancing at Max's calm face, Boyd smiled, "About 25 minutes. Agent Booth has been praying the whole time . . . oh look, he's finally stopped."

Turning his gaze back to the front of the church Max saw Temperance and Seeley talking to each other. Frowning, Max asked, "Have you found the Gravedigger yet?'

Shaking his head, Boyd answered, "Sorry, Max, no and the FBI haven't either."

Nodding his head, Max drank in the sight of his daughter, "You put the word on the street, any one touch a hair on my daughter's head they won't see the next sunrise. Let's see if that gives this Gravedigger pause at least."

Rubbing his mouth, Boyd remarked, "We'll keep looking; but, if the FBI hasn't found him, I don't see us finding him either. That loon is very careful."

Staring at his daughter, Max replied, "Sooner or later the Gravedigger is going to make a mistake and when he does, I'll kill that sorry son of a bitch. In or out of jail, his ass is mine."

Blowing air out slowly, Boyd looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear them.

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Reviews would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


	6. Chapter 6

(Judas on the Pole)

Thanks for the great reviews. I really appreciate them.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

He'd been on the west coast, putting in some time to keep his union happy when he'd received a call from North Carolina. His son, Russ was being followed around and it looked professional. His blood running cold, Max caught the next flight to North Carolina to talk to his employee. Richard Cogan arriving at the Dennys in Fayetteville, found Max sitting at one of the back tables.

"Hey, Max."

Looking up from his menu, Max frowned, "I'm here. Tell me what's going on."

Handing a picture of Russ' stalker over to Max, Richard replied, "This guy has been following Russ around and just from the things he's done, it looks like he's trying to set up the right place to kill your son."

Taking the picture, Max asked, "Have you found out who he is?"

Nodding his head, Richard answered, "His name is Garrett Delaney. He's ex-FBI."

Sighing, Max replied, "Ok, well we knew this was going to happen. I'll take care of it. You keep an eye on Russ and make sure you prevent Delaney from getting too close. I'm going to lure Delaney back to D.C. and take care of this problem."

Smiling, Richard asked, "I can take care of Delaney if you want me to."

Shaking his head, Max replied, "No, I have to send a message. We'll do it my way."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving back in D.C. Max tracked down Joseph Booth at his cheap apartment. Answering his door, Joseph sighed, "Back again?"

Smiling, Max replied, "Afraid so."

Stepping aside, Joseph allowed Max to enter his apartment. Looking around at the cheap furniture, Max turned his attention to Joseph, "Those big bads I was worried about are making some dangerous moves. I need your help again."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph replied, "What do you want done?"

Placing his hand on Joseph's shoulder, Max replied, "I have an extermination job I need done."

Staring at Max, Joseph replied, "Is this going to keep my boy safe?"

Nodding his head, Max answered, "It's a start. It's going to get worse before it gets better."

Frowning, Joseph replied, "Now why did I know you were going to say that?"

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They'd found a way to get Garrett to return to the District and once he was in their clutches, they'd killed him. Moving his body up to the top of the hotel hadn't been as hard as Joseph thought it would be. After they'd got the body on the roof, Max and Joseph had strung the body up on a cross, Max had rammed a coin and a piece of paper in Garrett's mouth and then gutted him.

A little shocked at the brutality of the act, Joseph had turned to Max, "What the hell did you do that for?"

Snickering, Max wiped his knife on Garrett's clothes, "I'm trying to send a message. I want the big bads to back off of my kids and your son. I'm hoping this will do that."

Shaking his head, Joseph asked,"And if it doesn't?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max replied, "Then we'll do it again. Sooner or later they'll get the message or we'll run out of big bads."

Blowing air slowly through his lips, Joseph responded, "Remind me not to piss you off."

Setting the body alight, Max smiled, "Oh, I'm not pissed. Believe me when I tell you, you don't want to see me get angry."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Meeting Max at the seminary, Joseph had felt uncomfortable, "Come on, a priest?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max replied, "It's perfect. Who's going to question a priest? I can get near Tempe and help her and at the same time she won't know who I am."

Interested, Joseph asked, "What about Russ?"

Frowning, Max responded, "What about him? Russ knows who I am. I've been keeping tabs on my son ever since he was arrested and convicted of car thief. He needs me more than Tempe does. I had to make sure my boy wasn't going to screw up anymore; so, I started seeing him while he was in prison. He knows who I am and he knows what I'm trying to do. He wants his sister safe as much as I do."

Puzzled, Joseph asked, "Why not tell Tempe who you are? Why keep her in the dark?"

Laughing bitterly, Max replied, "For the same reason you're not talking to Seeley. My baby ended up in Foster Care and I found out that she had it pretty rough. I can't fix that and right now, she hates me. I hope to fix that some day; but, right now, I need to make sure she's safe. Maybe once the big bads back off, I can try to get close to her; but, right now, I can't. I would endanger her even more. It wouldn't be good for your son either. Your boy is actually under a lot of scrutiny right now and I need to tread carefully. One of the big bads is a Deputy Director in the FBI. "

Shocked, Joseph sputtered, "What?"

Sighing, Max grabbed Joseph's arm, "I told you that your son was in danger. Deputy Director Robert Kirby is your son's boss's boss. He was a former sniper and he's a very dangerous man."

Full of pride, Joseph reminded Max, "My boy is a sniper and nothing to be trifled with."

Nodding his head, Max smiled, "Yeah, I know and believe me I'm grateful that he's my baby's partner. If anyone can help keep her safe it's Seeley. On the other hand, Seeley is in danger because he's actually at the mercy of Kirby. I may have to take care of Kirby like I did Garret Delaney if Kirby won't back off. There are other big bads we need to worry about; but, right now, Kirby is the most dangerous."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 

Kirby wouldn't back off. He actually tried to kill Russ and that was the last straw for Max. Following Kirby to Temperance's apartment, Max surprised Kirby and killed him. Calling Joseph, Joseph had arrived and helped Max move the body down to the garage and into a van that Joseph owned. Moving the body to the same hotel that they'd used for Garret Delaney's funeral pyre, Max and Joseph strung up Kirby, inserted a Columbus coin in Kirby's mouth and set his body on fire.

Anxious that those co-conspirators partnering with Kirby got the message, this time, Max called one of them and told him that he'd be next if he didn't forget about Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth. The congressman, understanding that some people couldn't be pushed, promised that the partners were safe.

Max had turned over the pages of the FBI notebook belonging to Augustus Harper to Temperance the last time he'd seen her. He'd given her the key to the safety deposit box with the evidence she needed to bring down the big bads. He had removed the congressman's name and anything identifying him as being in on the murder of Augustus Harper. Max had called the congressman and had told him what he'd done and why. He also made sure that the representative knew that Max now owned him and nothing had better happen to Russ, Temperance or Seeley.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the Royal Diner, Booth watched Brennan hugging Zach. The intern was now a doctor and officially working at the Jeffersonian. As Booth, glanced around the room, he thought he recognized the man that used to sit in the park playing chess every morning while he ran.

Walking over to the gentleman, Booth asked, "Can I sit down?"

Nodding his head, the man placed his hand on his chin and asked, "What can I do for you?"

Curious, Booth asked, "I think I owe you a thank you. Weren't you at the park the day I was shot? The cops said that you tried to help me until the ambulance came. I've wanted to thank you; but, you never came back to the park. I tried to look you up at the address you gave the police; but, you didn't live there."

Uncomfortable, Joseph replied, "Most of the time I'm homeless. I bum floor space from old friends. At the time you were shot, I was living in my car. I didn't want the cops to give me a hard time or hold me because I didn't have a permanent address."

Staring intently at Joseph, Booth asked, "So which one are you Mickey Souris or Edwin Cabina?"

Sighing, Joseph replied, "Edwin Cabina. Am I in trouble? Are you going to arrest me for giving a false address to the cops?"

Shaking his head, Booth replied, "Nah, we got a tip after I was released from the hospital that the guys that shot me were dead. They were found in an abandoned building; so, there won't be a trial. The next time the cops ask you for an address, tell them you're homeless. By making up an address and then disappearing, it made you look guilty as hell for awhile. . . . Do you need anything? Do you need help finding a place to live?"

Shaking his head, Joseph replied, "Nah, I found a place to live. It's cheap and my Veterans Disability benefits covers it."

Curious, Booth asked, "You were in the military?"

Nodding his head, Joseph replied, "Yea, the air force."

Pursing his lips, Booth asked, "That guy Mickey Souris that was with you that day, do you know where he is?"

Shaking his head, Joseph replied, "Nah, he left town right after you were shot. He was scared to get involved and so he skipped town."

Smiling, Booth asked, "Mickey Souris wasn't that guy's real name was it?"

Shaking his head, Joseph answered, "Nah, like I said, he didn't want to get involved in whatever happened to you. I really can't tell you what his real name is. He changes it all of the time. He's a paranoid schizophrenic who doesn't trust anyone. He changes names like you and I change clothes."

Noticing Brennan waving at him, Booth stood up. Extending his hand, Booth said, "Thanks for taking care of me that day. You probably saved my life."

Shaking Booth's hand, Joseph replied, "Not a problem. I'm happy I could help you. See you around."

Nodding his head, Booth replied, "Yeah. If you ever need any help, look me up. I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth. You can find me at the Hoover."

Nodding his head, Joseph smiled, "Nice to meet you Seeley Booth."

Pausing, Booth remarked, "You know you kind of look familiar, like I should know who you are. I just can't place you though."

Smiling, Joseph replied, "It's the beard and mustache. It makes me look like the lumberjack on the paper towel wrapper only really old."

Laughing, Booth responded, "Yeah, maybe that's it."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

So, what do you think of my story so far? Still interesting?


	7. Chapter 7

(The Killer in the Concrete)

Thanks for reading my story. It's not the usual B&B story; so, I appreciate your interest.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was December and his wife had been buried for one year in a proper gravesite. He arrived at Eternal Springs Memorial Gardens very early that morning hoping that his daughter would come by some time that day for the anniversary. He'd waited all morning and finally she's showed up with a friend. Watching them from a distance, he'd seen the friend leave and felt this was his chance. Walking up behind her, he's called out to her only to watch her call the police on her phone. Disappointed he'd left telling her he loved her as he walked away from her. Irritated that she was being intractable, Max realized that if he was going to talk to her he'd have to come up with a plan.

Wanting to avoid her partner, he'd decided to visit her in her apartment; but, this time he brought a jamming device with him so she couldn't call the police. Breaking into her apartment was disturbingly easy. This was the second time he'd done it and both times it made him realize that his daughter put too much faith in locks on doors. He really needed to talk to her about security.

Once she'd arrived he'd realized that she wasn't going to listen to anything he said; so, he asked her to look at his rap sheet and then he'd left. He thought once she'd seen what kind of criminal he really was that she might be more open to dialogue. For some reason, she thought of him as a murderer and this really bothered him. Sure, he'd killed men in his life; but, it had always been to protect his family. He'd never murdered anyone. He'd just removed very dangerous men from the world. How could that be considered murder? As far as he could tell, Temperance saw the world in black and white. There didn't appear to be any gray in her world view at all. As far as he was concerned, the world was entirely gray.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

He'd waited until he was sure that Temperance had talked to Seeley about his criminal record and then he'd tried to talk to her again at her apartment.

He'd noticed that his daughter had speed dialed a number on her phone and it didn't take a genius to know that it had been made to Seeley Booth; so, his conversation would have to be shorter than he would have liked it to be.

He'd tried to connect with her through childhood memories by bringing snickerdoodles with him to give to her; but, she'd claimed not to remember how much she'd loved them as a child. He wasn't sure what disturbed him more, the possibility that she couldn't remember her childhood or the fact that she refused to remember her childhood. Both had serious ramifications and he wasn't sure how to handle it.

He'd tried to get her so see that killing Kirby had been his way of protecting her and Russ; but, she didn't see it that way. She'd told him flat out that Seeley would arrest him if he had the chance. Considering who Seeley was, that hadn't surprised him. What had hurt him was the fact that Temperance agreed with her partner's plan.

When she'd moved away from him, putting distance between them, he'd noticed a notepad with Hugh Kennedy's name written on it. That had worried him. He'd told her that Kennedy had been killed in a car crash. He should have told her flat out that the guy was alive; but, he didn't want to get involved with a dangerous man like Ice Pick Kennedy; so, instead he'd decided to warn Seeley, whom he knew was listening on the phone to their conversation, that Kennedy was into model planes and he was wily. He'd hoped that would give the agent the clue he needed if he was looking for the guy; but, would also make him aware that Kennedy couldn't be trusted. He couldn't keep Seeley from looking for Kennedy; but, he could at least help him understand that the guy was a sneaky son of a bitch.

He'd left after that. His daughter wasn't listening to him and he wasn't sure how to get her to do it.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He'd waited for more time to pass and he'd approached her in the Royal Diner. He figured she wouldn't make a scene in such a public place and her partner might have someone watching her place at that time since he'd been there twice.

He'd been shocked when she'd told him that Seeley was missing. He'd gone after Hugh Kennedy by himself and now he was missing.

Contacting Joseph, Max informed him about Seeley, "You're son is missing."

Feeling his blood run cold, Joseph asked, "What do you mean missing?"

Hearing the fear in the other man's voice, Max explained, "Your son went after a very dangerous man by himself. The guy, Hugh Kennedy is a hired killer. I'm going up to Baltimore with Tempe to see if we can find out what happened to him. The FBI is looking for your boy; but, they won't tell Tempe anything."

Afraid, Joseph asked, "What can I do? I need to help."

Sighing, Max replied, "Right now, I don't know. Like I said, Tempe and I are going to see if we can find him. I guess you can stand by and if I need your help then I'll call you."

Fear making his breath short, Joseph begged, "Please let me come with you, I can help."

Shaking his head, Max responded, "No, you stay there. If I need help then I'm going to need it quickly. Look, I know you're scared; but, I'm going to find your son. I will, so just stay there and wait for my phone call."

Angry, Joseph exclaimed, "If this Hugh Kennedy killed my boy, I'll kill that son of a bitch, slowly."

Nodding his head, Max replied, "And I'll help you do it."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Brennan and Max had gone to Baltimore and after threatening a model plane enthusiast, threatening a hotel clerk and torturing a bounty hunter Max and his daughter had found out that Kennedy might have got his hands on Seeley after all. Brennan had been near panic and Max had found himself upset that she might lose a very close friend. He needed to find Seeley Booth and he needed to find him alive.

Max thought it over and he knew that even though everyone was assuming that Kennedy had Seeley, he knew that he probably didn't. The only thing that made sense was that someone else had Tempe's friend and Max was sure that it was Melvin Gallagher. Temperance had driven back to the Lab to work with her friends to see if they could find the agent.

While he waited, he called Joseph Booth, "Hey, it looks like Hugh Kennedy didn't grab Seeley. It's a guy names Melvin Gallagher."

Puzzled, Joseph asked, "Why would this Gallagher fella go after my boy?"

Max explained, "Gallagher runs a crime organization in West Virginia. As dangerous as Kennedy is, Gallagher is worse. Maybe he grabbed Seeley to see if he knew where Kennedy is, I don't know. It just makes sense that Gallagher has him. Tempe and her people have a bunch of evidence that their pouring over. They're trying to figure out where Gallagher may be keeping your son."

Swallowing, Joseph asked, "Do you think this guy's killed my son? Do you think Seeley is dead?"

Sighing, Max replied, "I honestly don't know; but, Tempe and her people are working on the assumption that he isn't since his body hasn't turned up anywhere. I think they're right. He's alive right now and we have to find him before Gallagher decides to get rid of him."

Joseph, frightened, begged, "Let me help."

Shaking his head, Max replied, "Joseph, there isn't anything you can do to help. As soon as we find him I'll call you."

Nodding his head, Joseph sighed, "Okay, sure. Call me."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

They'd found Seeley alive. Gallagher and his man Lightner had tortured the agent trying to find out whether or not Hugh Kennedy was alive. Seeley hadn't broke and refused to tell them. Max and Temperance had called in the FBI and between Max and Temperance confronting Gallagher and his psycho henchman and the FBI swat team coming in as backup, Seeley had been rescued. Max knowing that the FBI wanted him, borrowed Brennan's car and left the airport as fast as he could.

On the way back to D.C., Max had called Joseph Booth, "Hey, Seeley's okay. He's been rescued."

Relief flooding his body, Joseph gripped the phone, "Is he ok?"

Not wanting to lie, Max replied, "He was roughed up; but, he was threatening to arrest me while I was rescuing him; so, I'd say he's okay."

Feeling a tear roll down his face, Joseph smiled, "That boy is something else, isn't he? You can't keep him down."

Smiling, Max responded, "Yeah, he's tough."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Waiting in the Diner for hours, nursing cup after cup of coffee, Joseph finally saw what he was waiting for. His son and his partner walked into the diner. Seeley looked pretty banged up and was limping; but, still, he was alive and that's what counted.

Smiling, Joseph stood up and walked past his son. Stopping, Joseph feigned surprise, "Hey man, looks like you had a rough day."

Booth, looking up and seeing Edwin Cabina, nodded his head, "Yeah, you could say that."

Nodding his head, Joseph smiled, "See you around."

Walking out of the diner, Joseph walked across the street and watched his son from the shadows. His phone ringing, Joseph flipped it open without taking his eyes off of his son.

"Hey Joseph, looks like Lightner didn't make it."

Smirking, Joseph replied, "That's too bad."

Satisfied, Max replied, "Yeah, seems like he was going to make it; but, the poor guy had some complications after surgery."

Nodding his head, Joseph, "What about Gallagher?"

Smirking, Max answered, "Prison can be a very dangerous place."

Staring at his son who was leaning towards Temperance, Joseph smiled, "Good."

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Any comments? What do you think of my story?


	8. Chapter 8

(Stargazer in the Puddle)

Thanks for reading my story. The reviews have been really good. Thanks.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the IHOP on 14th street, Joseph fiddled with his coffee cup, while Max ate his fork full of pancakes, "I don't understand. You're going to turn yourself in? Why for crying out loud?"

Swallowing, Max smiled, "Don't worry about it. The FBI is trying to find me and I'm tired of them looking for me. I have a plan. I'll turn myself in, they won't be able to prove that I'm Max Keenan, they'll give up and maybe I can start to see my daughter more often. It'll be okay. Those big bads have backed off. We don't have to worry about them anymore."

Sipping some coffee, Joseph watched Max pop some bacon into his mouth, "Okay, what about that Gravedigger? He's still out there. We haven't found him and he's still dangerous."

Swallowing his bacon, Max picked up his toast and slathered some jelly on it, "I still have people trying to track that bastard down along with his accomplice. He's going t make a mistake sooner or later and when we do, he won't be a problem anymore. My guys are going to keep tabs of my kids and your son while the FBI is holding me. That isn't a problem. You can relax and enjoy your retirement. Maybe you should tell Seeley who you are."

Shaking his head, Joseph sighed, "No way. Seeley kind of likes me as Edwin Cabina. The second he found out I was his father, he'd . . . never mind. It isn't going to happen. As far as Seeley is concerned, "I'm Edwin Cabina and that's the way it has to be. Don't blow that for me, Max. Please, I'm begging you. Seeley talks to me and he kind of likes me. That's the best I can hope for. I'm happy with it. There aren't any walls between Cabina and Seeley. There's a whole mountain between Seeley and his father. This is how I want it."

Holding his hand in a placating manner, Max smiled, "Don't worry about it. You want your son to think of you as Edwin Cabina then that's fine with me. It's your life and I can't tell you how to live it. I want a relationship with my kids and that isn't going to happen if I'm on the run."

Curious, Joseph asked, "How you going to turn yourself in?"

Smiling, Max replied, "Well, Larry over at the Jeffersonian told me that he heard that Tempe is getting married. He couldn't really nail that down without drawing attention to himself and appearing to be nosey; but, he heard that from some intern. I figure that if Tempe is getting married maybe it's to your son."

Surprised, Joseph smiled, "No kidding? You think my boy is going to get married to your daughter?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max picked up his glass of orange juice, "Maybe. I don't know. I aim to find out though. Someone is getting married over there and if it's my baby then I want this whole FBI man hunt thing over and done with."

Taking a sip of his coffee, Joseph asked, "What if it's just bullshit and she isn't getting married?"

Laughing, Max took a sip of his juice, "It doesn't matter. I need to get them off my back. This is just a good excuse on my part to get it taken care of. I've put it off long enough.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

A little angry, Max walked into the visiting room and stalked over to the table where Joseph was sitting. Sitting down, Max leaned towards Joseph, "What the hell are you doing here? What if Seeley finds out that you've been here to see me?"

Sighing, Joseph crossed his arms. "Why would he find that out?"

Shaking his head, Max spoke to Joseph as patiently as he could, "Look, he might keep track of who my visitors are. How the hell do I know? I just know you're taking an unnecessary risk. He might try to investigate just who you are and that will be the end of Edwin Cabina."

Looking down at the table, Joseph shrugged his shoulders, "Okay, I won't come back. I just didn't want you to think I was abandoning you. You're the only friend I got, Max, the only one."

Cocking his head to the side, Max responded, "Okay, don't worry about it. If he finds out that you came and saw me I'll tell him that Mickey Souris worked for me and you were trying to find Mickey. I don't know where Mickey is; so, I couldn't help you. You can't come back though. That excuse will only hold up if you don't come back."

Nodding his head, Joseph smiled, "If they hold you for awhile can I call you? I could use a disposable phone and call you once in a while. You know, check up on you, make sure you're ok."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max nodded his head, "Sure that'd be okay. Just don't call me from your home or the same place twice. Don't use your name and I don't know, don't talk about your son or my daughter. If they're listening in on my calls, I don't want them to be able to track you down."

Smiling, Joseph saluted Max, "You got it. So, you need me to send you anything. Do anything?"

Shaking his head, Max responded, "No. Remember to check in with Boyd once a week. He'll give you the latest info on me and the kids. If he finds the Gravedigger and his accomplice while I'm in here he has orders about how to handle it. Stay out of that. You don't need to be involved. You keep your head down and your nose clean. I'll be ok in here. Believe me, no one is going t mess with me."

Nodding his head, Joseph sadly looked around, "Are you sure? This crowd looks pretty tough."

Smirking, Max answered, "The FBI may not be able to prove who I am; but, these boys know who I am. They know what will happen to them if they mess with me. I got people I can rely on. I'm safe."

Sighing, Joseph stared at Max. "Don't get hurt. You need me, you contact me through Boyd. I'll do whatever you need me to do. I'm your friend and I want to make sure you're okay."

Seeing the sad look on his companion's face, Max replied, "You are my friend too. I'll see you when I get out. You want to talk to me, that's okay too. Just use the disposable phones. If you need money for that, you contact Boyd and get the money from him. He knows to help you out if you need it."

Shaking his head, Joseph cleared his throat, "I can afford it."

Smiling, Max replied, "I didn't say you couldn't. I'm just saying that Boyd takes care of my business expenses here in the D.C. area and he can provide you with money to cover the phones since you're calling me. I don't want you wasting your money on phone calls when I can afford to take care of that. It isn't charity. It's just business. All of my people are paid to buy disposable phones. You're my people as well as my friend."

Nodding his head, Joseph smiled, "Yeah, that's me, I'm your people. I guess I better go. You want me to call Boyd with any messages?"

Shaking his head, Max smiled, "Nah, I'll be talking to him this evening sometime. I'll see you when I get out."

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	9. Chapter 9

(The Knight on the Grid)

Thanks for giving this story a chance. It is a little different than my normal story so I appreciate your interest.

I don't own Bones.

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Calling Boyd using the next phone number on his list, Max looked around and made sure no one was standing near by. He knew phone calls were monitored; but, he didn't want anyone standing near him when he made phone calls to his people.

"Cracker speaking."

Rolling his eyes, Max replied, "Yeah, okay. Look I need you to get in contact with Kyle. You tell him that the comet is in trouble. Got it?"

Boyd, checking his list, responded, "Got it. You're sure? I mean Kyle may want to go to the planetarium and uh well he shouldn't because he might you know, get caught."

Sighing, Max replied, "I know what I'm doing. Call him and tell him."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max's employee responded, "Okay man. Do you need anything?"

Watching one of the rougher prisoners glaring at him, Max smiled, "Nope. Have you checked up on my sick friend lately? Is he doing okay?"

Nodding his head, Boyd responded, "Yeah, sure. I gave him some money the other day for a new phone. He said he'll call you sometime this week to check in."

Hanging up, Max walked over to the glaring prisoner, "You got a problem?"

Slapping his fist in his hand, Icy replied, "Yeah, I heard you're supposed to be tough shit. You just look old to me."

Laughing, Max responded, "Oh yeah?" Kneeing the prisoner in the groin as hard as he could, Max watched Icy fall. "The next time I'll pop one of your eyes out and then we can give you a new nickname, Icy. Yeah, I know who you are. You better believe who I am."

Holding his hands over his crotch, Icy nodded his head.

Seeing a guard approach, Max reached down and helped Icy stand up. "You cause me any trouble and I'll kill your ass."

The guard arriving near the men barked out, "What's going on?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max answered, "My friend here slipped and fell."

Nodding his head, Icy muttered, "Yeah."

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Hearing that his son had been arrested by Booth, Max made sure Russ met up with him as soon as he was processed. Smiling, Max hugged his son. "You did the right thing kid. They won't keep you here very long. All you did was jump bail and they don't have enough room in prison to keep guys like you in for long."

Annoyed, Russ asked, "Guys like me?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max walked his son to the common area. Placing his arm around Russ's shoulder, Max spoke up and glared at the men standing nearby, "Okay, you know me. This is my son. Anyone so much as look at him cross eyed and they'll find out what the phrase blood is thicker than water really means."

Seeing a few nodding heads, Max shifted his gaze towards a couple of men who had pretended indifference and glared at them, "Don't screw with me."

Nodding their heads, the two that Max had singled out, moved away.

Nervously looking around, Russ cleared his throat, "Boyd said that you said that Booth wouldn't arrest me, Dad. You lied. Boyd told me that you said that I could come back."

Releasing his son, Max walked over towards a table and sat down. Russ, reluctantly following him, sat down next to him.

Sighing, Max responded, "Look, Hayley is sick and Amy wanted you home. You couldn't keep on the run forever. It's better this way. If you end up serving a little time, I'll be here to watch your back."

Angry, Russ replied, "I hate jail Dad. You lied to me."

Patting Russ's hand, Max replied, "Yeah, I know."

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Hearing he had a visitor, Max entered the room to find Boyd waiting for him. Walking over to the table, Max sat down. "What's up?"

Leaning forward and placing his hand over his mouth, Boyd responded quietly, "There was an accident."

Frowning, Max snarled quietly, "What kind of an accident?"

Flicking gaze around the room, Boyd returned his gaze back to Max, "Okay, uh, the kids were undercover and someone tried to kill them with a pipe bomb in the road." Holding his left hand up, Boyd continued to talk with his right hand over his mouth, "They're okay. A little shook up, a few scratches; but, they're okay."

Furious, Max asked, "Who was it? The Gravedigger?"

Shaking his head, Boyd responded, "Larry says that they've been working on some big case at the Lab that involves a serial killer. They think it was that guy."

Sighing heavily, Max exclaimed, "My God, it's bad enough we have to worry about the Gravedigger now we have a new one to worry about."

Nodding his head, Boyd leaned closer, "Apparently the guy is a cannibal serial killer. He even killed and ate a priest."

Grimacing, Max rubbed his forehead, "Great, that's just great." Sitting quietly, Max finally spoke, "Okay, I need you to find out more about this cannibal. I don't want you to quit looking for the Gravedigger; but, I need you to see if you can find out who this serial killer is. I know you can't really protect the kids like you want to. They have dangerous jobs. Just do the best that you can. It's important that Booth and Temperance not know that they have people watching them. I mean that Boyd. They can't know."

Nodding his head, Max's man responded, "I got it. They won't know."

Staring at Boyd's hand lying on the table, Max finally looked up at Boyd's face. "Don't tell Joe."

Shrugging his shoulders, Boyd frowned, "No, I won't."

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A/N: Just in case you are curious about Max's code, Halley's comet is a real comet that can be seen from Earth about once every 75 years. Hayley is Russ's step-daughter.


	10. Chapter 10

(The Verdict in the story)

Thanks for the terrific reviews.

I don't own Bones.

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Sitting in the gallery, Joseph sat near the back wall, as far from his son as he could. He had dressed in a simple black suit with a light blue shirt and leather black shoes. He'd trimmed his hair and facial hair and almost seemed like another person. He was hoping that he could attend the trial without his son noticing. He came in to the courtroom just before the trial started and left as soon as the judge called it a day. So far, he'd managed to stay out of sight of Seeley Booth and Joseph prayed it would stay that way.

The trial had been long and full of expert witnesses testifying how Max was the only one that could have murdered Deputy Director Robert Kirby. He'd felt bad that Max was the only one on trial for Kirby's murder; but, Max had been adamant that he didn't need any fellow conspirators. In fact an accomplice would make him look even guiltier; so, Joseph was merely a spectator in the trial and not a contestant.

The evidence seemed overwhelming and Joseph was sure that Max was going to end up on death row. Joseph had observed how calm Max was during most of the trial and wondered how a man facing the death penalty could be so calm. Max's lawyer, David Barron was really good and Joseph realized that if there was even a slim chance Max would be exonerated then Mr. Barron was his best chance.

Watching his son during the trial, he noticed how close he was to Temperance. Even though he wasn't supposed to be talking to her, he did so anyway. He brought her coffee and they whispered to each other in the courtroom. Well, they whispered to each other until the judge lost his temper and separated them. Joseph thought they were cute together and felt bad that they were being forced to sit apart.

Joseph had been shocked when their anthropologist on Max's side determined that the murder weapon to kill Kirby wasn't the murder weapon. Mr. Barron had tried to get the charges dismissed; but, the prosecutor had protested. They had given his son time to look for the weapon.

Joseph Booth had been so surprised that Seeley had found the murder weapon. In just a few hours he had found it in Temperance's apartment and the trial was back on. Joseph had been proud that his son was so good at his job and yet so sad that it looked like it might mean the death of his friend, Max.

The trial had taken a bizarre twist when Max's daughter had made it seem like she might have killed Kirby. Joseph was flabbergasted and afraid. He didn't want his son's partner to go down for a murder she didn't commit. He vowed to himself that if somehow she ended up on trial for the murder of Deputy Director Kirby, he'd step forward and claim that he had murdered the man. He was dying anyway and he knew he would be dead before he was executed. There was no way he would allow anyone take his son's friend from him. Since Max couldn't be tried again for this murder due to double jeopardy, he knew he could get Max to help him get Temperance off.

Soon the trial was sent to the jury and Joseph found it harder to stay out of sight of his son. He made sure he kept a book in his hand and made sure it covered his face whenever his son looked his way. After what seemed like a very short wait, the jury came back with a verdict. Joseph had noticed that Temperance wasn't in the courtroom and soon Seeley was left too. Joseph was sure that he had gone to look for his partner and friend. He had wanted to follow his son and make sure that everything was okay; but, he stayed to see if Max would be convicted or not.

Holding his breath, he heard the jury hand down their verdict and he was so happy to find out that the only friend he had in this world would walk out of the courtroom a free man. Watching Max leave the room, Joseph threw him a thumbs up sign and Max delighted that Joseph was there, smiled and returned the gesture. Following Max and his son out of the room, Joseph hung back and watched Max walk down the courthouse steps and hug his daughter. Sadly, he watched his son standing to the side observing the father-daughter reunion. Sad that he would never get that for himself, Joseph swallowed and left the courthouse.

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Eating dinner at the Ihop, Joseph slowly ate his pot roast sandwich. Staring at the table in front of him, he thought about his past and how much he wished there was such a thing as magic and that he could magically change the past.

Feeling a hand pat his shoulder, Joseph looked up to see Max smiling at him, "Hey, Joseph, how's it going?"

Grinning, Joseph stood up and hugged Max, "God I was so scared I'd never get to see you again Max. I thought for sure you would be convicted."

Laughing, Max sat down and picked up a french fry from Joseph's plate, "Yeah, me too. That was some trial, I can tell you."

Nodding his head, Joseph frowned, "Yeah, I know I was there every day. I still don't know how you weren't convicted."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max responded, "Pure ass luck having a genius for a daughter, Joe. That's what it took." Stealing another French fry, Max grew somber, "My guys still haven't found the Gravedigger or his partner and that cannibal is still out of our reach too."

Nodding his head, Joseph replied, "Yeah, I know. Boyd's been good about keeping me up-to-date. . . . So what are you going to do now that you're free to come and go? Are you going to move back to the west coast?"

Shaking his head, Max replied, "Nah, I sold the house out there. I'm going to get an apartment here in D.C. and find a job here. We still need to find those two characters that went after our kids and since I'm not a wanted man anymore, it will be nice to be able to live near Temperance. I can go down to North Carolina to visit Russ when the urge strikes me."

Smiling, Joseph responded, "Great, maybe I'll see you around sometime. Maybe you'll let me help you sometimes."

Reaching over and patting Joseph's hand, Max smiled, "Of course, I'll see you. You're a friend of mine and I don't turn my back on my friends. Tell you what you want to help me that's great. I might come up with some special projects and you can help with those."

Stealing another French fry, Max smiled, "I think I better order my own fries before I eat all of yours."

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	11. Chapter 11

(The Wannabe in the Weeds/The Pain in the Heart)

Thanks for following my Max oriented story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

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Stunned Joseph sat in the hospital lobby, waiting to hear from Boyd. Max's employee had called him and let him know as soon as he'd had heard about the shooting. Max was out of town and wouldn't be able to come back until the next day. Biting his finger nail, Joseph sat staring at the elevator doors. Boyd had found an empty seat in the ICU waiting room upstairs and he'd promised to come down and let him know how his son was doing as soon as the surgery was done.

Seeing the elevator doors open, Joseph noticed the solemn looking Boyd exit the car and walk towards him. Standing, Joseph smiled, "So he's okay, right?"

Reaching out and placing his hand on Joseph's arm, Boyd shook his head, "I'm sorry, Joseph. He didn't make it."

Feeling light headed, Joseph sat down abruptly on the floor. Looking up at Boyd, Joseph started shaking his head, "No, you're wrong. It's a mistake. Go back upstairs and check on my boy."

A security guard, rushing over to where Joseph was sitting, leaned down and asked, "Are you okay?"

Ignoring him, Joseph pleaded with Boyd, "Please Boyd, go back upstairs and check on my boy."

Squatting down next to the grieving man, Boyd slowly shook his head, "I'm sorry, Joseph. You're son died."

Understanding, the guard motioned to another security guard and knelt down next to him, "Sir, let us help you up. You can sit on the chair behind you."

Shaking his head, Joseph slowly stood up, "No, Boyd. This isn't right. A father shouldn't outlive his child especially the kind of father I was. This isn't right. You go upstairs and check on my boy."

Stepping closer to the older man, Boyd placed his arms around Joseph, "I'm sorry Joseph."

Crying, Joseph leaned against his friend and hid his eyes on Boyd's shoulder, "He was too young, Boyd. He was too damn young."

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Max had found out when the funeral was going to be held. For some reason the funeral was going to be held two weeks after Booth had died. He'd found that odd; but, decided not to question it. He'd offered to go to the funeral; but, his daughter had told him not to bother as she wasn't going to attend.

"What do you mean you're not going to attend Booth's funeral Tempe? This is your last chance to say good-bye."

Irritated, Brennan shook her head, "Don't be ridiculous Dad. Booth isn't here anymore so I can't say good-bye to him. He's dead."

Concerned, Max placed his hand on Brennan's arm. "Tempe, funerals are not really for the dead. It's too give the living closure. You loved him and . . ."

Interrupting her father, Brennan stepped away from him, "I didn't love Booth. He was my friend and partner. We weren't in a relationship."

Sighing, Max stood where he was, "Tempe, say good-bye to your friend. It's your last chance."

Lifting her chin, Brennan stated coldly, "I didn't get a chance to say good-bye to him when he was alive, when it counted. I didn't . . . I am not going to his funeral."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max spoke softly to his daughter, "I just hope you don't regret this decision later, Honey. I didn't get to say good-bye to your mother because she died in her sleep. I did say good-bye when I buried her. It gave me comfort then and it still gives me comfort now. It would give you comfort if you'd go."

Turning and walking away from him, she threw her hands up in the air, "We don't all take comfort from seeing our friends and loved ones lying dead before us, Dad."

Noticing the phrase 'loved ones' coming from his daughter, Max sighed.

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He'd slipped into the church during visitation and had been surprised to find that the service was going to be closed casket. He'd also found it odd that someone from the FBI was guarding the casket. Staying long enough to say a prayer, Joseph had left for home where he'd spent several hours in an almost catatonic state. Max arriving with some take out had been a welcome surprise and he'd been grateful.

The turn out for the funeral was lighter than Joseph had expected. After studying who was there and who wasn't he started to become concerned. It was glaring that Rebecca and Parker weren't there and for Jared not to show up at his brother's funeral infuriated Joseph. As soon as the funeral was over he was going to make some phone calls and he didn't give a tinkers damn whether the people he called liked it or not. The first phone call he planned to make was to his own father. Seething with anger, the grieving father wished he hadn't turned down Max's offer to attend. His anger was so great, he stood near one of the trees about 500 feet from the funeral and watched.

Standing as far from the funeral as he could and still be close enough to hear the service, he tried to find comfort in the words spoken over his child. Joseph happened to glance over towards the honor guard and did a double take. Spying his son standing with a rifle in his hand, Joseph stared at Booth and wondered if he was hallucinating. Seeing his boy hand his rifle to another soldier and go after a man approaching the casket, Joseph stood rooted to his spot, his mouth open, as he watched his son get into a fight with a stranger. His son coming up short, his son's partner hit the stranger with a mannequin arm that had been in the casket knocking the stranger out.

Watching a furious Temperance Brennan stalk away from his son after hitting him, Joseph took his phone out of his pocket, "Max, you. . . Max you're not going to believe this; but, my son is alive and well. This whole dead thing was some kind of trick."

Sighing deeply, Max responded, "Shit! How is Tempe taking this?"

Watching Max's daughter get into Angela's car and slam the door in Booth's face, Joseph shook his head, "Not good Max. Not good at all."

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Reviews would be great. Thanks.


	12. Chapter 12

(The Pain in the Heart)

Not a lot of people are interested in this story; so, I appreciate all of you who have let me know they are reading this.

I don't own Bones

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Walking into Joseph's efficiency apartment, Max shook his head, "I don't know Joseph. Larry says that your son showed up at the Lab at about the same time as my daughter and her co-workers. Larry say's he heard our kids have a big fight about his pretending to be dead. He was sure it would probably have gone on for hours; but, someone sent Tempe a package with a human jawbone in it and Larry says they're sure it's Gormogon.

Frowning, Joseph closed the door after Max entered the apartment, "Gormogon? Isn't that the serial killer you told me about a few weeks ago?"

Nodding his head, Max sat down on the couch, "Yeah. I guess they're going to have to go after that guy sooner or later. Larry found out that Seeley thinks that the original Gormogon is living in a retirement home here in the D.C. area. Boyd said he'd look into it. Maybe we can find out who the new one is from that guy."

Curious, Joseph asked, "Are you going to eliminate the retired one?"

Shaking his head, Max replied, "Nah, he didn't have anything to do with the pipe bomb that almost killed our kids. I want the new one. Him I plan to eliminate if I can find him."

Sighing, Joseph shook his head, "Let me know if I can help. . . You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw Seeley was alive. This whole thing was just a stunt. I should have known it wasn't real when I didn't see Parker or my Dad at the funeral. There is no way my father wouldn't have gone to the funeral. I just didn't really think about it; but, I should have. I'll tell you something else. I was so pissed when I didn't see Jared or Dad there. My God, I haven't been that angry in years. I wanted to beat the shit out of them I was so mad. I thought I was a different person now; but, I'm not. I still want to hit things when stuff is going wrong. I'm still the asshole I've always been."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max responded, "Well you didn't hit anyone; so, don't worry about it. It's okay to be pissed. If you just don't follow through then it's okay."

Shaking his head, Joseph replied, "No you don't understand. If Seeley hadn't turned up alive I planned to track down my son Jared and beat the shit out of him. Well, he'd probably kill me now since I'm sick and old; but, I would have tried. I'm still me."

Standing, Max walked into the kitchen and retrieved two cokes from the fridge. Walking back into the living room, he handed one to Joseph and sat down again. "We are who we are Joseph. Just let it go. You didn't do anything so stop beating yourself up over stuff you thought about doing." Opening the bottle, Max took a swig and watched his friend do the same.

Staring at his coke bottle, Joseph asked, "Is Boyd still looking for the Gravedigger?"

Nodding his head, Max smiled, "You better believe it. I want that guy dead. I can't believe the FBI hasn't found him yet. He's like a damn ghost."

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Sitting in the park, Joseph waved at his son as he ran by him and left the park. Picking up his chess pieces, he started to place them in a box.

"Don't put them up, I'd like a game."

Looking up, Joseph smiled, "Hey Max, where have you been?"

Sitting down, Max removed the pieces from the box and set them on the board. "Okay, you remember I called you and told you that your son killed Gormogon?"

Nodding his head, Joseph made his first move on the chess board, "Yeah, of course. I'm not senile yet."

Smiling Max made his opening move, "Yeah, well Larry called me a little while ago. Larry wanted to make sure he had the information right before he told me because it was quite a shock to everyone at the Jeffersonian. Gormogon had an accomplice and Booth, I mean Seeley and Tempe caught the guy."

Looking away from his board and making sure no one was within earshot, Joseph asked, "Are you going to get rid of him?"

Frowning, Max signed, "I can't. Gormogon's accomplice was Dr. Zach Addy. He's a co-worker of Tempe's and according to Larry, her pet."

Puzzled, Joseph stared at Max, "Her pet?"

Laughing, Max explained, "Dr. Addy was her favorite intern. Once he got his doctorate he started working full time at the Jeffersonian as her colleague. Tempe loves the guy. Not as a boyfriend girlfriend kind of thing. Larry says it's almost like she's his mother. There aren't that many years difference between them; but, this Zach is kind of an innocent. Larry said that he heard that Tempe is taking it real hard that Zach is a murderer. I can't kill the kid. It would upset Tempe too much."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph responded, "Well, if he killed someone then they might give him the death penalty; so, he'll end up dead anyways."

Shaking his head, Max watched Joseph make his next move, "I have a guy who told me that Caroline cut a deal with Zach. Zach is going to be put in a nut ward instead of going on trial for murder. Apparently it was Zach who told Seeley where he could find Gormogon."

Pursing his lips, Joseph watched Max move his bishop. "Okay, what about the Gravedigger?"

Glancing at a beautiful woman walk by, Max smiled, "Yeah, quit obsessing over that guy. He's not going to go after Tempe again. There's no advantage to it. The Jeffersonian has increased security in the parking garage and the Hoover always has been guarded. The Gravedigger is not going to go after my daughter again. We have to time to find him."

Moving his queen, Joseph grunted, "I'd just feel better if the guy was dead. He's dangerous. What if he goes after someone else at the Jeffersonian? I don't like it."

Watching Joseph move into check mate position, Max tilted his king, "Don't worry about it. The guy wants money. He kidnaps rich people for big payouts. The only one rich like that at the Jeffersonian is Jack Hodgins and since the Gravedigger failed to get anything for Hodgins the first time, I'm sure he'll leave everyone over there alone. We have time. Sooner or later he's going to make a mistake and when he does either the FBI will get him or we will. . . How would you like to fly to Quebec for a few days? I need some messages and legal papers delivered in person. You up for the job? I can put you up at a very nice hotel and you can see the sights all on my dime."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph smiled, "Sure, sounds interesting."

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	13. Chapter 13

(The Con Man in the Meth Lab)

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I don't own Bones.

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Moving his knight, Joseph smiled at Max, "Ha, I thought you said that you'd take me in 12 moves."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max moved his bishop and laughed, "So sue me, I took you in 13 moves, check mate."

Stunned, Joseph looked down at the board and studied it carefully, "Smartass."

Smiling Max leaned back on his seat. Watching some joggers leaving the park, Max pursed his lips, "Larry called me and said he saw your youngest son, Jared at the Jeffersonian yesterday. He was with Seeley."

Frowning, the older man asked, "Did Larry know why he was there? I thought he was still out on a ship somewhere."

Moving the black chess pieces back on the board, Max replied, "Larry was close enough to hear him talking to Dr. Saroyan. Jared told her that he's the new Head of Strategic Plans and Policy at the Pentagon."

Whistling, Joseph smiled, "Well, I'll be damned. No kidding. Both of my boys are doing pretty good, huh? They definitely aren't a chip off the old block. I guess they took after my Dad, thank God."

Shaking his head, Max responded, "I wish you wouldn't do that."

Puzzled, Joseph frowned, "Do what?"

Watching Joseph make his first move on the board, Max replied, "Tear yourself down like that. You made mistakes. You were a bastard when you were a drunk. Fine, it happened; but, that's the past and everyone is allowed to change. You've changed. You don't drink anymore and you have that temper of yours under pretty tight reign. Give yourself a break, you've changed."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph sighed, "I waited too late to change though. I changed after I had destroyed my family and I was sick and old. It would have only mattered if I'd done it when I still had a family. . . . You know I looked up my wife once. I wanted her to forgive me for the shit I put her through and I found out where she was. She was singing at some club. Come to find out she was living with some guy and from what I could see they were pretty happy together. When I saw her, I realized that nothing I had to say would matter to her; so, I just left. She has a new life and she's happy. I'm actually glad for her."

Curious, Max asked, "Why didn't she take the boys with her when she left you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph replied, "I haven't got a clue. It didn't make sense to me at the time; but, the way I figured it, she probably realized that if she had took off with my kids I'd have probably tracked her down to get them back. Course, God help me, I'm not sure what I would have done to her; but, I would have had to get my kids back. I guess she knew that so she left them with me. Sometimes I wish she had run with my boys. God knows they would have been better off. I thank God every day that my old man found out what I was doing to Seeley and Jared and took them away from me. I was so out of control I sometimes think I'd have eventually either killed my boy, Seeley or he'd have killed me. I was so crazy back then it scares the hell out of me just thinking about it."

Observing the watery eyes in his friend, Max reached out and patted his hand, "I need you to take a trip to Quebec again for me. Are you up to it?"

Nodding his head, Joseph wiped his eyes with a handkerchief, "Yeah, sure. I still don't know why you don't do the money transfers by computer. It would be a hell of a lot cheaper."

Smirking, Max shook his head, "No way. You start doing stuff like that by computer and you create a trail anyone can follow. My way is safer and I don't care if it costs me some money to do it. "

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph smiled, "That last hotel I stayed at was pretty nice. I'd like to stay at that one again. The people working there were really nice."

Smiling, Max responded, "Sure, I'll tell Boyd."

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Knocking on Max's apartment door, Joseph was a little apprehensive. The door finally opening, Joseph smiled, "Hey, I'm back."

Frowning, Max replied, "No kidding."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph entered the apartment and handed his brief case to Max, "So, I was reading the newspaper and I read how Tempe was shot in a shootout by some crooked cop. Is she doing okay?"

Carrying the brief case into the living room, he placed it on the coffee table and walked into the kitchen. Joseph, watching Max leave the room, walked over to the dining room table and sat down.

Max, carrying two glasses of iced tea, walked over to the table and sat down. Handing one of the glasses to Joseph, Max sighed, "She's an anthropologist and an author. I don't understand how she ends up in shoot outs with anyone let alone a crooked cop. She shouldn't be putting herself in these situations; but, she does it over and over. God forbid if I should try to talk to her about it. She gives me this long speech about how dangerous some of her digs can be and how she's been threatened with death more than once when working in foreign countries; but, I keep trying to remind her that this is different. When she's home she's a scientist not a cop and she shouldn't be putting herself in dangerous situations."

Chuckling, Joseph sipped his tea. Placing the glass back down, he remarked, "She tells your ass off every time you stick your nose into her business, Max. You need to stop that before she kicks your ass and tells you to quit coming around. You know she doesn't like anyone to tell her what to do so why do it?"

Irritated, Max answered, "I'm her father."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph replied, "She's not a kid."

Clearing his throat, Max stared at his friend for a minute, "I have some news about your kids that you might be interested in."

Puzzled, the older man responded, "Like what?"

Sipping his tea to give himself a little more time, Max placed his glass down, "Okay, while you were in Quebec, your youngest got into a car wreck while he was drunk. Seeley saved his ass by giving an important case he was working on to the Virginia State Police. Tempe told me about it. She was upset that Jared had used Seeley like that and she wanted me to kind of explain why Seeley would have just given an important case like that away. She was confused about why Jared would risk Seeley's career like that."

Swallowing, Joseph asked, "Seeley's career, the FBI didn't can him did they?"

Shaking his head, Max replied, "Nah, they wouldn't dare. He's too valuable to them. No, from what I can find out he just got a reprimand; but, that's it."

Angry, Joseph asked, "What about Jared?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max answered, "Apparently he walked away smelling like a rose. It's Seeley that took the hit for Jared's cock up."

Shaking his head, Joseph responded, "Seeley has been taking care of Jared since he was a kid. I guess he still thinks he has too. Seeley would save the world if he could. I'm disappointed in Jared though. He has the world in the palm of his hand and he's just screwing around. It doesn't make sense."

Picking up his iced tea, Max studied the beads of sweat running down the glass. "It's weird, Joseph. I have a kid that's the top in her field and a famous author and my other kid, he's nothing but trouble. I have to keep an eye on him all of the time to keep him out of trouble. It's damned aggravating. Then I see your kids, one of them is climbing to the top of his field. By every definition Seeley is a success and then you have Jared. If he doesn't get his shit together and I mean soon he could find himself kicked out of the Navy. Tempe told me that Seeley told her he's not going to rescue his brother any more. It's sink or swim time for Jared and I have a bad feeling he's a screw up like my boy. Jared could really make it far in the Navy if he'd just keep his nose clean; but, he just reminds me of Russ. Neither of them seem to think of the ramifications of the shit they get into. I hope I'm wrong, Joseph; but, after talking to Tempe, I really think Jared is in trouble."

Sighing, Joseph ran his fingers through his hair, "And there isn't a damn thing I can do about it."

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Reviews would be great. Thanks.


	14. Chapter 14

(The Hero in the Hold)

Thanks for reading my story.

I don't own Bones.

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Startled from his sleep, Joseph woke up to the sound of loud banging on his apartment door. Shaking his head, Joseph rolled out of bed and straightened up as quickly as he could. The constant banging was infuriating; so, Joseph was angry when he opened his door. Seeing Max, Joseph suddenly paled at the look on his friend's face.

"What's wrong?"

Motioning for Joseph to move back, Max entered the apartment and closed the door behind him. Wary, Joseph watched Max brace his shoulders back.

Rubbing his hand across his mouth, Max finally responded, "You need to remain calm, okay?"

Shaking his head, Joseph snarled, "That's a hell of a way to start a conversation. What the hell is wrong?"

Nodding his head, Max answered, "Seeley is missing and it looks like the Gravedigger kidnapped him."

Enraged, Joseph threw up his arms and slammed them against Max, pushing Max against the door, "No. . . No, you said that the Gravedigger would leave them alone because he wants money. My boy isn't rich. What the hell is going on?"

Placing his hands on Joseph's arms, Max pushed him back as firmly as possible. Speaking quietly, he responded, "I was supposed to meet Tempe at some banquet tonight. She was going to be honored for something; but, when she didn't show up and neither did Booth I mean Seeley, I got worried. I called her and she told me that she'd received a phone call from the Gravedigger saying the he'd kidnapped your son. He doesn't want money. He wants something else. Tempe said she didn't have time to explain it. I have my guys combing the city, working contacts right now trying to see if anyone knows about a Fed being kidnapped. Tempe and her people are looking into it right now and the FBI is looking for him too. Don't worry about it. We'll find your son."

Shaking his head, Joseph cried out, "Don't worry about it? Are you insane? You know how close a call you had when that bastard stole Tempe and you're telling me to be calm? You can go to hell, Max. My boy is gone and we may not get him back." Starting to cry, Joseph turned his back on Max and placed his hands over his eyes, "We may not get him back."

Patting Joseph on his shoulder, Max sighed, "I'm sorry, Joseph. Everyone is doing what they can. With this many people looking for Seeley, someone is going to find him. I promise you."

Shaking Max's hand off of his shoulder, Joseph muttered, "Don't make promises you can't keep."

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Joseph and Max had made the rounds and had tried their best to find out where Booth was. Boyd finally called Max and let him know that he had a lead. Running the down the lead, Max and Boyd had found the man they were looking for. Using Joseph's van, they waited until their prey was alone and forced him into the van. Driving the van over to Mara Muerte territory, Max drove the van in to the abandoned warehouse he'd used the last time he'd needed to get rid of bodies.

Pulling their captive out of the van, Boyd hauled him several feet from where the vehicle was parked and tied him to a support column.

Furious, the man snarled, "You're making a big mistake. I'm an FBI agent for God's sake."

His lip curled, Max responded, "FBI agent my ass. Did you really think that you and the Gravedigger would get away with your shit forever? What the hell did you do with Seeley Booth?"

Turning pale, Agent Fry responded, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about. Agent Booth has been kidnapped by the Gravedigger that's true; but, I don't know who the Gravedigger is. I'm a Fed. We go after people like the Gravedigger. I don't know what makes you think I have anything to do with the Gravedigger; but, you're wrong. Now let me go and I'll forget all about this."

Walking over to where the Agent was standing, Joseph cocked his right arm back and slammed his fist into the FBI agent's face. Striking him once more, Joseph snarled, "Where is my son?"

Max, intervening, grabbed Joseph's arm and hauled him back, "If you kill him then we won't find Seeley."

Pulling his arm from Max's grip, Joseph glared at him and then the agent, "Fine, do it your way."

Nodding his head, Max stepped closer to the agent, "We want to know where Seeley Booth is and we want to know now."

Shaking his head, the agent cried out, "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't work with the Gravedigger."

Folding his arms across his chest, Max pursed his lips, "I have a man watching Seeley Booth's apartment. He saw you go in to his apartment building with a woman shortly before Booth was kidnapped. The odd thing was he never saw you or her come back out. He checked and found out that neither you nor the woman live in the apartment building and you weren't visiting anyone there. After his investigation he contacted me and told me what he found and he showed me this picture."

Pulling out a picture of the agent and Heather Taffet from his coat pocket, Max showed it to the agent. "My guy takes pictures of everyone new that goes in and out of that apartment building and checks them out. He's a very suspicious character and doesn't trust anyone. Now when he found out that a FBI agent and a U.S. Attorney just happened to go into Booth's apartment building and no one saw them leave, well that just raised red flags the size of a house. . . . You and Taffet went in and somehow you knocked Booth out because this is the only way this could have played out. You then carried him out of his apartment using the fire escape. It's the only way you could have moved a big guy like Booth and no one noticed. You then took him somewhere. I want to know where."

Sneering, Agent Fry responded, "If you don't let me go, you'll never see the boy wonder again."

Shaking his head, Max explained, "If you don't tell me where he is, no one will ever see you again."

Shaking his head, Agent Fry replied, "When I get out of here I'm going to kill you."

Moving away, Max turned to Boyd. Nodding his head, Max moved over to where Joseph was standing. Watching, Max cursed under his breath while Boyd persuaded the dirty Fed to give them what they wanted.

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Brennan sitting in Booth's office while her partner talked to Cullen and Hacker about his ordeal, heard her phone ring.

"Tempe, I may know where Booth is."

Surprised, Brennan shook her head, "I don't know what you heard, but Booth is okay. He was on a decommissioned ship. He's alright and he's back at the Hoover."

Exhaling deeply, Max replied, "Thank God. One of my guys worked some of his contacts and he heard about some Fed being kidnapped and being kept on a ship. I just wanted to make sure you knew about it."

Smiling, Brennan responded, "Thank you Dad. Your contact was correct and Booth has been rescued. I appreciate your concern."

Relieved, Max stared at Joseph, "Any time Tempe. Any time. I'm sure you're busy; so, I'll let you go."

Ending his call, Max smiled at his friend, "He's safe. They rescued him without our help. Your son is safe and at the Hoover. If he isn't in the hospital then that must mean he's okay."

Feeling tears run down his face, Joseph ignored them, "Thank God."

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Jorge Sanchez was furious. The head of Mara Muerte was livid that this could be happening in his territory. "Are you telling me that the body you found is a dead Fed? Are you kidding me?"

Swallowing, Joe Montoya explained, "My nephew likes to play in that warehouse. He found the body and told me about it. I checked it out and the guy has FBI ID on him."

Shaking his head, Jorge replied, "There is no way I want the Feds snooping around here. You get rid of the body. Burn it or sink it in the ocean, I don't care. You make him disappear and don't you screw this up or I'll make you disappear."

Nodding his head, Joe replied, "I won't screw up."

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	15. Chapter 15

(The Critic in the Cabernet)

Thanks for the kind reviews.

I don't own Bones.

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Sitting in the park, Joseph watched the morning joggers move by him. Puzzled that he hadn't seen his son for three days, Joseph wondered if Seeley had gone out of town on another undercover assignment. The last one that he had gone on had taken him to Texas along with his partner and he'd been gone for four days. Of course, he'd found out about it three days after his son had come back to the District when Max had told him about it. Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph sighed, "This is what it is."

Placing his chess pieces back into the box, he folded his chess board and ran his fingers across the parquet squares. He's bought the chess set at the Goodwill and it still astonished him that he'd been able to get a hand carved chess for five dollars. It was probably the most valuable thing he owned besides his beat up van.

Startled out of his state of reverie, Joseph looked up to see Max standing in front of him, "Hey Max. You just get back from North Carolina? How's your son doing?"

Clearing his throat, Max attempted to smile and sat down on the bench across from the table Joseph was sitting at. "Uh, he's doing fine." Clasping his hands in front of him and placing them on the table, Max cleared his throat again.

Joseph, suddenly turning pale, swallowed, "What's wrong? Something's wrong what is it? I know you, clearing your throat is a bad sign."

Nodding his head, Max responded, "Look, I called Tempe this morning because I thought she was supposed to be leaving for some dig tomorrow and I found out that Booth I mean Seeley is in the hospital."

His throat suddenly dry, Joseph croaked, "Tell me, Max. Don't drag it out."

Nodding his head, Max licked his bottom lip, "Your son had to have emergency surgery two days ago. He, uh, he had a brain tumor and they had to operate on him to remove it. He's in the hospital right now in a coma."

Stunned, Joseph covered his eyes with his hand and wept. Max, trying to be helpful, stood up and walked around the table. Kneeling next to Joseph, he placed his hand on Joseph's shoulder and squeezed it. "Look, Tempe said the tumor was removed successfully. They aren't one hundred percent sure why he's in the coma; but his doctor thinks he had a serious reaction to the anesthesia. He's been out of it for two days. They don't know how much longer he'll be asleep. The surgeon told Tempe that he can wake up anytime now."

Shaking his head, Joseph removed his hands from his eyes, "Or not at all."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max responded, "Or not at all; but, that's the worse case scenario. We have to be more optimistic than that. Your son is going to be okay, Joseph. Tempe is with Seeley and she said she's making sure he's getting proper care."

His shoulders slumping, Joseph shook his head, "Why does God keep picking on my boy like this? He just goes from one crises to another. Who could blame him if he's just tired of the shit in his life and wants to hide? Hell, I don't know why he's not . . . I . . . He's had so much shit in his life. Just so much crap heaped on him. He . . . " Trailing off, Joseph stared at his hands, "Maybe he'll die and he'll never know that I loved him. Maybe he'll die and he won't know that I am so sorry for all of the horror I put him through as a kid."

Rubbing his hand across Joseph's shoulders, Max responded, "When he wakes up maybe you could finally talk to him."

Sighing, the older man exclaimed, "If he wakes up he sure as hell doesn't need to see me and that's a fact. I'm part of the crap he's had to deal with in his life. I started his life in a hole. I didn't give him the level playing field most kids get. I . . . no, if he wakes up, nothing has changed. I love that boy, but, I can't tell him. I can't see him. He doesn't deserve to have to be reminded of his horrible childhood. The childhood that I ruined. It's enough that he smiles at me when he sees me. He thinks I'm some chess bum in the park and that's all I can be to him."

Standing and listening to his knees pop, Max reached down and rubbed them, "Want to go to the hospital and wait there? I'll take you and sit with you. We can sit in the lobby. I'll get Boyd to go with us and he can hang out in the waiting room on Seeley's floor. We can pray for your son to recover. I don't really believe but I know you do and I'll help you pray just in case I'm wrong. How about it, Joseph?"

Looking up at his friend, Joseph sighed, "Yeah, what else do I have to do? Thanks, Max. Thanks for being a good friend. You're the only friend I have."

Sad, Max nodded his head, "Hey, I'm not exactly overwhelmed with friends either, Joseph. We old reprobates need to stick together. Your boy is going to be fine, you'll see. He's tough."

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Max and Joseph had found a couple of unoccupied couches in the lobby of the hospital near the side of the room near a column. They could see who came and went; but they were partially hidden by distance to the main entrance and the elevators. They'd both been gratified to see so many people that they knew were associated with the Hoover and the Jeffersonian come and go. Joseph had a near panic attack when he'd seen his father. When Hank Booth had walked through the main entrance with Jared, Joseph had grabbed Max's newspaper and had hidden behind it. Trembling, Joseph had watched past the edge of the pager as his father and youngest son walked to the elevator bank and got on a car going up.

Max, curiously stared at his friend, "I thought you were in contact with your father."

Moving the newspaper to his lap, Joseph licked his lips, "Yeah, I am; but I don't want him to know I'm in contact with Seeley. He might say something to my boy and ruin everything and I sure don't have any contact with Jared."

Shaking his head, Max stood up, "I think I'll go up and visit Tempe. She can tell me how Seeley's doing."

Nodding his head, Joseph stared at Max, "Uh, Max if you can, I mean if it's possible, whisper to my son that I love him. I mean if you can."

Swallowing, Max smiled, "Sure thing."

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Max hurried out of the elevator and into the lobby with Boyd by his side. Moving quickly over to where Joseph was sitting, Max huffed a little and sat down.

Nervous, Joseph had stood up as his friend approached and watched as Max and then Boyd sat down. Holding his hands up in a defensive gesture, Joseph asked, "What's wrong?"

Smiling, Max shook his head, "Seeley is awake. He woke up an hour ago. Tempe says he's having some memory problems; but, besides that, he's awake."

Nervous, Joseph asked, "What kind of memory problem?"

Pushing his tongue against his cheek, Max looked away and then back at his friend, "Well, uh, he sort of thinks Tempe is his wife."

His eyes large in his head, Joseph exclaimed, "Oh God!"

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	16. Chapter 16

(Harbingers in the Fountain)

Thank you for reading my story. It's not the usual B&B so I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

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Joseph arrived at Max's apartment later than he'd expected. Knocking on the door, he noticed someone next door open their door and scowl at him. Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph knocked again.

Max, running his hands through his hair opened the door, "Why are you so late? I was asleep."

Entering the apartment, Joseph handed over his briefcase and then followed his sleepy friend into the living room, "The plane had engine trouble. They made everyone get off of the plane and then after a four hour wait they loaded us to another plane."

Placing the briefcase on the couch, Max rubbed his eyes, "Want a drink? I got cokes, tea, juice."

Shaking his head, Joseph frowned, "Nah, I know you were asleep. I'll go."

Holding up hand to stop his friend, Max asked, "Don't you want to know about Seeley?"

Rubbing he back of his neck, Joseph smiled, "Sure, how's he doing?"

Entering the kitchen, Max called out, "He's doing pretty good. Tempe says that he was released by his surgeon and that psychologist they see. . . uh, Sweets, yeah, Sweets gave him the go ahead to go back to work."

Sitting down at the kitchen table, Joseph say Max come out of the kitchen with two glasses of lemonade. "I still don't see why your daughter went to Guatemala. I mean yeah, she had that dig she wanted to go to; but, Seeley really needed her to stay here and make sure he was okay."

Shaking his head, Max sat down across from Joseph, "Hey, she said it was important and since your son was staying with your father I guess she didn't feel like it was necessary to miss her down time."

Sighing, Joseph shook his head, "You know Max I like Tempe. I really do; but, that girl has a bad habit of running away from things that require emotional investment. Seeley was confused after his surgery and instead of sticking around and helping to straighten him out she runs away and lets others sort it out. It's just a bad habit. How is she ever going to find happiness if she runs away from sadness? They go hand in hand. She just . . . I don't know. I think it keeps her from getting close to anyone. If you can't be around someone when the chips are down then you can build a strong relationship with anyone. Her relationship with my son is built on a bridge of glass. It's fragile and it could be broken very easily. She doesn't do anything to try to strengthen the bridge so it remains a glass bridge."

Nodding his head, Max took a sip of his lemonade, "Yeah, that's my fault. She learned from the best. . . Things are bad, run and leave your loved ones behind. Yeah, that's a great lesson I taught her. I should never left them behind when Christine and I ran. I didn't want to leave them behind; but, Christine was terrified that McVicker was eventually going to catch up with us and when he did, he'd kill our kids and us. He did catch up with us and he did hurt my wife. It took her a while to die, but she died because we were caught; so, I guess she was right to leave them behind. Still, I damaged my kids doing that. Russ, couldn't keep out of trouble and Tempe refused to invest emotionally in anyone around her. Seeley tries to get her to see that she's wrong about what she's doing; but, she just ignores him. I've heard him talk to her and . . . well, anyway it's all my fault that she's so skittish."

Wiping the beads of sweat off of the glass, Joseph shook his head, "We weren't made out to be fathers I guess. We're lucky our kids turned out fairly okay. I mean they have their problems; but, it could be worse." Laughing bitterly, Joseph sipped some of his drink, "Yeah, they could be like us, a violent drunk and a con man."

Grimacing, Max responded, "Hey I am not a con man. I used to be; but, I'm not anymore."

Sniggering, Joseph squinted his eyes at his friend, "Oh really? You consider yourself a legitimate business man?"

Poking his tongue against his cheek, Max glanced away and then back again, "For the most part. Speaking of which, how'd you like to take a trip to Germany? I have a little something I need you go get for me."

Surprised, Joseph exclaimed, "Germany? Oh, come on Max, what do you need me to get from Germany?"

Leaning forward on his arms, Max smiled, "I need you to go and escort Boyd's daughter home. She was touring Europe for a graduation present and she got into a little trouble. I had a few contacts get her out of it; but, I need someone to get her and it can't be Boyd. He's afraid to fly. Terrified actually. That's why you make the trips to Quebec. Boyd is the only besides you that I can trust and he can't do it."

Curious, the older man asked, "Why kind of trouble did she get into?"

Scratching his head and yawning, Max laughed, "She was at a dance club and some guy took an interest in her. She said they danced for quite a while and then he offered to take her out to breakfast. She thought he seemed like a nice guy; so, she agreed to go with him. He tried to rape her and she defended herself. She broke his arm and gave him a concussion. Of course, he screamed assault and she screamed rape and the cops just weren't sure what to do about it. I have a friend who got a lawyer to make a judge see reason and they released her to his custody. He agreed to get a relative to come get her to take her home and the judge okayed it. That's why I need you to go get her."

Sighing, Joseph asked, "Just how old is she?"

Smiling, Max answered, "She's 18."

With a sour look on his face, Joseph responded, "Okay, I'll go get her. She'd better behave while she's with me though. Eighteen or not, if she gives me any trouble, she'll find out that eighteen isn't too old to spank."

Laughing, Max shook his head, "If she gives you trouble, don't touch her. The kid has a hair trigger and a black belt in self-defense. She almost made it into the Olympics, she's that good."

Staring at Max, Joseph shrugged his shoulders, "That doesn't scare me."

Smiling, Max replied, "Good. She's a sweet kid; but, she doesn't use her head like she should and gets into crazy situations sometimes. She wants to be a cop. She's going to go to college to get her degree in criminology. After that she's going to apply to the FBI. If they turn her down, then she's going to apply to the Virginia State Police Academy."

Shaking his head, Joseph responded, "God I love irony."

Puzzled, Max asked, "What do you mean?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph stared at his friend, "Yeah, okay, my son is FBI, your daughter helps the FBI find murderers and Boyd's daughter wants to be FBI. You can't tell me that you don't see the irony in all of this."

Smiling, Max responded, "I guess heredity isn't everything."

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	17. Chapter 17

(The Parts in the Sum of the Whole)

Thank you for your continued interest. It's not a popular story; so, I'm happy you're sticking with it.

I don't own Bones.

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Watching his son run by him, Joseph noticed the sad look on his boys face. Sighing, Joseph decided to run into his son as soon as he could and chat him up a little. Seeley had been acting strange for the last week and it was driving him to distraction wondering what was going on.

Picking up his chess pieces, Joseph placed them and the chest board in his box and stood up. Seeing his son stop at the coffee cart, Joseph decided that now was a good a time as any.

His son sprawled on one of the benches near the cart, Joseph bought a coffee and sat down next to him, "So how's it going Agent Booth?"

Looking over at Joseph, Booth smiled, "Not bad, Joseph. How about yourself?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph smiled, "As well as can be expected for an old man. I noticed you cut your run short today. Is there something I can help you with? I mean, you know, maybe I can help you with whatever's ailing you."

Shaking his head, Booth sighed, "Nah, nothing's wrong . . . Have you ever . . nah it's okay"

Holding up his hand, Joseph frowned, "No, go ahead, you wanted to ask me something? It's okay. I'm really discrete and I can keep secrets. Believe me that's one of my super powers."

Frowning, Seeley stared at Joseph, "That's funny, my Dad used to say that. That he had super powers."

Feeling a little panicky, Joseph laughed, "That's my generation for you. My generation was comic books and TV and the Lone Ranger and Superman. We all had super powers of some kind."

Nodding his head, Booth pursed his lips, "Yeah, that's probably right." Making up his mind, Booth leaned down and put his coffee cup near his feet and leaned forward clasping his hands in front of his knees, "Have you ever loved someone a lot and well they didn't love you back?"

Scratching his face, Joseph nodded his head, "Yeah, I think we all have. I had a girl. When I was young, I fell in love with a beautiful girl. She was all I wanted and believe it or not I actually ended up marrying her; but, she fell out of love with me. I did some things that . . . well, anyway she left me. I love her to this day; but, she doesn't love me. Life is like that. Sometimes you never get the one you want and sometimes you get the one you want and you screw up and you lose her."

Nodding his head, Booth sighed, "Life can really suck some times."

Staring at his son, Joseph licked his bottom lip, "Yeah. How do you know she doesn't love you? Did she use those words, I don't love you?"

Shaking his head, the younger man sat up and folded his arms across his chest. "She didn't say those exact words; but, believe me it's what she meant. She just wants to be friends. She says she has to protect me from her. God knows what she meant by that because the more I think about it the more confused I get. She told me she doesn't have an open heart. I don't know what that means. I mean does that mean she can never love me or does that mean she thinks she'd bad for me and that's why she can't love me or does she love me and she just . . . Oh, hell, I've been driving myself nuts for days now. I can't figure it out."

Staring at the small dog sitting next to a woman on the bench across the path, Joseph cleared his throat, "Why don't you talk to her about it? Just flat out tell her you love her and ask her if she loves you?"

Laughing quietly, Booth shook his head, "I wish I could. She had the worst childhood. I mean it was pretty bad and she's sort of shut herself off of the idea of love and family. I've been trying to change her mind for years about it; but, she really hates the idea of love and she doesn't trust family ties. I guess I shouldn't complain, she still wants to be friends; but, still, I just . . ."

Hearing his son's voice fade away, Joseph looked up to see the faraway look in his eyes. "Can you live with just being her friend?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth turned and looked at Joseph. "She's important to me and I don't want to give up my friendship with her so yeah, I can live with it. I don't want to live with it; but, if all she wants is to be friends, then yeah, that's my future then."

Shaking his head, Booth stood up, "Hey, I'm sorry to bother you with my crap. I got to go."

Nodding his head, Joseph replied, "Any time, Agent Booth, any time."

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Sitting in the Denny's, Max stirred his coffee and then tasted it, "So, you say that Seeley and Tempe must have had the talk and she rejected him?"

Nodding his head, Joseph dipped his toast in the egg yolk on the plate in front of him, "Yeah, believe me it sounds like he tried to tell her that he wanted to be more than friends and she told him no. I mean, I'm assuming it was Tempe and not some other girl. Hell, as far as I can tell he hasn't dated anyone for months so he has to be talking about your daughter. You told me that he looks at her like a cat does a bowl of milk so it must be her he was talking about."

Sighing, Max picked up his cup of coffee and shook his head. Sipping the hot beverage, he leaned over and took a piece of toast from Joseph's plate, "God those two are going to be the death of me. A blind man could look at them and see that they love each other and for some reason they can't connect. Now you tell me he tried and she refused. I am so disappointed."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph responded, "Not as much as they are."

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	18. Chapter 18

(The Beginning in the End)

Thanks for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

He'd been in the park when he'd seen his son approached by a colonel from the Army. He'd seen the anger and mistrust on his son's face as he walked away from the officer and he'd also seen the look of determination on the colonel's face. Worried, he left the park and made his way to Max's apartment. Knocking on the door, he soon realized that he wasn't home. He knew Max was in town, so he decided to wait for him. Using the emergency key Max had given him, he entered the apartment and walked into the living room. Noticing that Max hadn't cleaned his apartment for awhile Joseph decided to clean it up a little while he waited.

Entering his apartment, Max smelled the distinct odor of Pinesol. Both curious and wary Max quietly walked into his living room to find Joseph sleeping on his couch. Shaking the older man's shoulder, Max looked around at his clean apartment, "Joseph how many times have I told you not to clean my apartment? You're too sick to be a maid and I can clean my own apartment."

Sitting up, Joseph rubbed his eyes, "I'm not so sick that I can't do a little cleaning. Don't be such a worry wart, besides, I can't stand dusty furniture. By the way, you need more furniture polish and Pinesol. I used up what you had."

Shaking his head, Max sat on the chair next to the couch, "You have to stop cleaning my apartment, Joseph. I mean it. You're too sick. You want to come in my apartment then that's fine but don't clean anymore. I'll take care of it when I have time."

Stretching, Joseph leaned back on the couch, "I was at the park this morning and I saw a colonel approach my son. Whatever they talked about, Seeley was not happy about it. Did Temperance mention anything about the Army? Are they working on a case for them?"

Shaking his head, Max replied, "I haven't seen her for a few days. She's been acting funny lately. That Gravedigger trial seemed to take something out of her. She's been acting distant to me. If you want I'll call her tonight and see what's going on. If I don't get a hold of her I try to see her tomorrow. I'll let you know." Seeing the worried look on his friend's face, Max shook his head, "What are you worried about?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph replied, "I don't know. It's just a gut feeling. Something seems wrong to me."

Sighing, Max stood up, "Want to spend the night? We can watch some movies."

Nodding his head, Joseph smiled, "Sure, sounds like fun."

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It had taken him a few days; but, he finally had the information for Joseph. Meeting him at the Denny's, Max had found Joseph sitting in the back of the diner, reading a newspaper and drinking coffee. Sitting down across from Joseph, Max waved at the waitress, "Coffee and I'd like to see a menu."

Turning to Joseph who'd folded his newspaper and placed it under his plate, Max shook his head, "Okay, I'll just say it. The Army is trying to get Seeley to reup. They want him to sign up for a year and do some training in Afghanistan."

Angry, Joseph responded explosively, "Afghanistan? You have to be kidding me. He has a job here. It's an important job. I hope like hell he told the Army to look somewhere else."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max waited as the waitress placed his coffee in front of him and handed him a menu. After she walked away, Max opened the menu, "Tempe says he told them he wasn't interested but she thinks he is. He may do it."

Shaking his head, Joseph leaned back in his chair, "This is so wrong. He needs to stay here. He's done his duty. It's enough."

Frowning, Max replied, "Be prepared, I think he'll go too. He's been acting odd ever since he had his brain surgery. He's been acting lost to me."

Folding his arms across his chest, Joseph stared at his friend, "That's another thing. The Army has his medical files. They know he had the brain surgery. They have no business asking him to go to a war zone after what he's been through. It's absolute bullshit."

Closing his menu, Max waved at the waitress, "We don't get a say, Joseph. If he wants to do it then he will. Tempe is talking about going to some Indonesian island for some important dig. She seems pretty excited about it. I haven't heard her excited about anything for quite awhile."

Puzzled, Joseph's face suddenly cleared, "Oh my God. I think I know what's going on."

Shaking his head, Max placed his order and then responded to Joseph, "What?"

Sighing, Joseph replied, "Remember how I told you that Seeley asked Temperance to take a chance on them and she turned him down? What if her going to Indonesia is his reason for taking the Army seriously? He was already sad that she'd turned him down, maybe her leaving is just the last straw and he wants to run away from everything. If you think about it, I mean really think about it, he's been miserable since his surgery. I know he hasn't been happy and then when she turned him down he really took a nose dive. I don't think I've seen him smile in months.

Sighing, Max shook his head, "Tempe may leave for the dig and Seeley may go to Afghanistan. This whole thing is so messed up."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Standing in the airport, Joseph watched from a distance as his son walked over to his partner and held her hand for a few seconds, "Kiss her Seeley. Just do it."

Watching him release her hand and walk away from her, he shook his head, "I am so sorry Seeley. I wish I could help you." Moving over to a chair, he sat down and watched Brennan walk away from her friends. Feeling someone brush his arm as that person sat down next to him, Joseph turned to see Max sitting next to him, "Why didn't you walk over and say goodbye to Tempe?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max stared as his daughter finally disappeared from his sight, "I can't say good bye to her. It would only bring up bad memories for her. It's just better if she leaves."

Chuckling quietly, Joseph wiped his eyes, "Our families are so messed up, Max. Our kids are leaving and we can't even say goodbye." Standing, Joseph looked down at Max, "Do you still need me to go to Quebec tomorrow?"

Nodding his head, Max looked up, "Yeah. Life goes on. . . . They'll be okay. They'll be fine, you'll see."

Walking away, Joseph responded, "Maybe."

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Reviews would be wonderful. Let me know what you think of my story. Thanks.


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks for your interest in this story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Staring at the TV screen, Joseph asked, "Haven't you received any letters from Temperance?"

Shaking his head, Max rummaged around in his candy bowl for some chocolate, "I'd have told you if she had sent me any, Joseph. I called Angela, you know that artist that works with Tempe at the Lab and she says she hasn't heard a word from her either. She and her husband are in Paris and I had to call a buddy of mine over in Nantes to see if he could find her and ask her."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph watched Max unwrap a Milky-way bar, "I just think it's odd that she hasn't written or called anyone."

Biting off a hunk of candy, Max chewed slowly. Finally swallowing, Max studied the candy in his hand, "Yeah, well, she might too busy. You know how she is. She starts working on something and it takes a force of nature to make her stop."

Returning his gaze back to the TV he was just in time to observe John Travolta stab an actress with a long needle in her heart. Throwing his hands over his eyes, Joseph complained, "What the hell kind of movie is this? My God, Max."

Snickering, Max shook his head, "You are such a girl sometimes, I swear. It's 'Pulp Fiction'. I told you it's a classic."

Rolling his eyes, Joseph shook his head, "I don't like needles. Next time warn me when some psycho is going to stab someone with one of those . . . And I am not a girl. I was in a war for God's sake. I flew fighter jets. I'm what you'd call a warrior."

Staring at Joseph, Max smiled, "A warrior who almost faints at the sight of blood and needles."

Frowning, Joseph sniffed, "Only my blood. I could look at your blood all day and I wouldn't care."

Clearing his throat, Max gave Joseph an odd look, "Good to know."

Laughing, Joseph reached over and snatched Max's candy out of his hand, "Don't be such a girl Max. I was kidding. I'd throw my guts up if it was your blood, okay? I just meant that I can look at almost anyone's blood as long as it isn't mine."

Glaring at Joseph, Max pointed at the candy bowl, "Did you have to take my candy? There's a whole bowl of the stuff."

Popping the candy in his mouth, the older man laughed.

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Knocking on the door, Joseph tried to keep his temper under control. Max opening the door, rubbed his head, "Its 10:30 Joseph. You know I go to bed at ten."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph licked his lips, "I just got back from visiting my father. He had some news about Seeley and I thought you should hear it."

Suddenly wide awake, Max stepped aside, "Come in. Booth, I mean Seeley's okay isn't he? Nothing happened to him did it?"

Shaking his head, Joseph wandered into the living room and shook his head, "No, he's fine. He's got a girlfriend."

Frowning, Max replied, "A girlfriend?"

Exhaling deeply, Joseph sat down on the couch, "Yeah, he's hooked up with some reporter. You know that blonde reporter, Hannah Burley? She's a war correspondent. I'm sure you've seen her on TV."

Nodding his head, Max sat on his recliner, "Yeah, I've seen her." Silent, Max stared at the coffee table. Finally looking at Joseph, Max shook his head, "I knew this might happen. I knew it. They both played chicken and Seeley swerved."

Rubbing his temple, Joseph remarked, "Dad says Seeley is serious about her. He's making a mistake. He loves Temperance. Just because she said no doesn't mean it will mean no forever."

Sighing, Max leaned back on his chair, "I bet we could fix this."

Moving his hand away from his face, Joseph frowned, "How? We're here and he's over there and besides I'm just a casual acquaintance as far he knows and you bug the hell out of him. What can we do?"

Staring at the ceiling, Max pursed his lips, "I don't know. I'll have to think about it. First, we should wait and see what happens when he comes back. Maybe it's just a casual romance and once he gets home that will be the end of it. If not, then we'll get the lay of the land and see what we can do. Tempe and Seeley belong together and that horseshit they've been doing to each other has got to stop. Now I don't know Hannah Burley, she may be as sweet as summer corn; but, she's stepped into something she shouldn't have. We'll have to see what we can do about her."

Shaking his head, Joseph protested, "Max, I am not about to hurt a young woman just because she took Temperance's man. I'm not going to let you hurt her either. She doesn't know what she's got herself into. It isn't right."

Exasperated, Max leaned forward on his chair and glared at his friend, "Did I say I'm going to hurt her? Did you hear me say anything like that? I just said we'll have to do something about her. We'll have to come up with a plan; you know, I want to show her the error of her ways. I'm not going to touch her let alone hurt her. God, what kind of man do you think I am?"

Smirking, Joseph crossed his arms across his chest, "I know exactly what kind of man you are, Max and I know what you're capable of."

Smiling, Max shrugged his shoulders, "Well, Mr. Smarty pants, in this case you're wrong. I'm not going to hurt a hair on her head. Now stop pushing my buttons. It's late and I'm tired. Use the guest bedroom. It's too late to go back to your place. We'll go get breakfast in the morning and we're going to have a war council. I'm not letting a stranger horn in on my baby's man and that's a fact."

Standing, Joseph looked around, "Hey you cleaned your apartment."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max glanced around too, "Not really. My new girlfriend did it for me. She said that she hates mess. She reminds me of you. You're both neat freaks."

Rolling his eyes, Joseph walked over to the guest bedroom, "It's not being a neat freak to hate dusty furniture and dirty kitchen floors, Max. My mother always said that cleanliness is next to Godliness and since I'm short on most Godlike things I try to at least keep things clean."

Oooooooooooooooo

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	20. Chapter 20

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Knocking on Joseph's apartment door, Max waited impatiently for him to answer, "Come on Joseph, open up."

His nerves getting the better of him, Max slipped his wallet out of his jacket pocket and pulled the emergency key to his friend's apartment from it's little pocket and opened the door. Entering the living room, Max noticed that the apartment was stuffy and overly warm. Moving over to the A/C control panel, he noticed that the temperature was registering 84 degrees. Shaking his head, he lowered the thermostat and heard the A/C come on. Walking over to the bedroom, he found Joseph lying on his bed, his clothes damp from sweat.

Shaking the older man's shoulder, Max shook his head, "Come on Joseph wake up."

Blinking his eyes open, Joseph stared blearily at the younger man, "What's wrong, Max?"

Frowning, Max asked, "I haven't seen you for three days, you don't answer your phone. I get here and I find you in bed and your place is a hot box. Why the hell didn't you call me if you weren't feeling well?"

Closing his eyes, Joseph replied, "I'm just tired, Max. I'm so tired."

Shaking his head, Max sighed, "I'm taking you to your doctor's office. That new medicine he has you on isn't working. Come on, let's get you up and your clothes changed."

Pushing himself up, Joseph shook his head, "I don't have an appointment."

Helping Joseph get out of bed, he helped him sit on the chair next to the closet, "Screw an appointment. He did this to you and he can fix it."

Smiling, Joseph took off his soggy shirt, "I did this to myself Max, no one else."

Grabbing a towel in the bathroom, Max brought it to Joseph, "Come on wipe yourself down and I'll help you change your clothes. Next time I call you, answer the damn phone."

Taking the towel, Joseph responded, "The phone was in the living room and I was too tired to get it."

Nodding his head, Max replied, "Okay, new rule, keep a phone by your bed and one in the living room. When was the last time you ate?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the sick man replied, "I don't know, yesterday, maybe the day before. I sure am thirsty."

Worried, Max jogged out of the room and into the kitchen. Grabbing a couple of bottles of water, he brought them back to the bedroom. Handing his friend one of the bottles, Max ordered him, "Drink up. I think you're dehydrated."

Taking the bottle, Joseph drank until the bottle was empty. "Whew, thanks."

Shaking his head, Max helped Joseph take his pants off, "Where the hell did you get that bruise?"

Looking down, Joseph smiled, "You know I bruise easy, Max. Don't get carried away."

Swallowing, Max looked at the deep dark bruise and then at Joseph. "Yeah, okay."

After his clothes were changed, Max helped his friend down to his car. Buckling him in, Max hurried around to the driver's side, "Okay, no bitching about my driving."

Nodding his head, Joseph closed his eyes, "Yeah, I won't. Just try not to kill me like the last time."

Pulling out of his parking space, Max frowned, "Hey, that wasn't my fault. That jackass ran a red light and almost hit me."

Shaking his head, Joseph laughed, "Not that it would have mattered if he had hit us, being a cop and all and that he was escorting a funeral procession."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the park, Joseph was startled to see his son run past him. Staring at him with his mouth hanging open, Joseph finally shook his head and pulled his phone out of his pocket, "Max, you are not going to believe this. Seeley is back. He just jogged past me."

Surprised, Max responded, "That can't be right. He still has 5 months left."

Staring at his son's distant form, "Well he's back. Is Temperance back?"

Shaking his head, Max frowned, "I don't know; but, I'm going to find out. Something must have happened to get him back so soon."

Pursing his lips, Joseph spoke, ""I'll call Dad and see if he knows. I'll just ask how the boy is doing. If Dad knows Seeley is back then he'll tell me."

Nodding his head, Max fiddled with the change in his pocket, "I'll call Tempe's place. If she's not there then I'll call Cam. I still have her phone number. Angela is still in France as far as I know; so, it won't do any good to call her. Tempe still hasn't written or called anyone."

Scratching his head, Joseph looked down at his chess pieces. "We need to find out if my son still has that reporter as a girlfriend."

Nodding his head, Max smiled, "Yeah, I'll find out. He better have come back by himself."

Concerned, Joseph cleared his throat, "Max, you promised not to hurt her."

Irritated, Max shook his head, "I am not going to hurt her. I said I won't and I won't."

Feeling happier than he had since he son shipped off to Afghanistan, the older man smiled, "Well at least my boy isn't in a war zone anymore. That's something at least."

Taking his hand out of his pocket, Max rubbed his right ear, "I'll find out what I can about Tempe and you find out about Seeley. I'll meet you at my apartment this evening."

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	21. Chapter 21

(The Couple in the Cave)

Thank you for the reviews.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting on a park bench, Joseph watched a squirrel bravely snatch a pop corn kernel from the path next to the bench across from him and then scamper away. Smiling, Joseph watched the small animal until it disappeared up a tree.

"That's all you have to do, watch squirrels?"

Looking up, the older man frowned, "Yes, I'm old. I don't have the energy to beat the shit out of . . . Never mind, I didn't mean to say that. That was . . ."

Interrupting him, Max sat down, "Never mind, I know what you meant." Sighing, he shook his head, "Okay, this is what I found out from Tempe, Cam was in some kind of trouble and Caroline wanted the old crew to come back and save her bacon. . . . Okay, not her words, I'm translating. . . . Anyway, she contacted Tempe and got her to leave her dig. She also contacted Booth I mean Seeley and found out he was willing to come home. She pulled some shit that I don't understand and got his contract negated with the Army and that's why those two are back. Now that they're back the Jeffersonian has decided to start up their forensics lab again and everyone that worked there before is being recruited to come back. Tempe thinks some of the techs she had before won't be back because they have new jobs. Most of her interns are switching back to her guidance or whatever they call it and that's what I know."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph asked, "Okay, you didn't answer the big question. What about Blondie? Did she come back with Seeley?"

Smiling, Max answered, "So far, Tempe hasn't seen her and my guy I have watching Seeley's apartment says he hasn't seen her either. I don't know what that means though."

Pursing his lips, Joseph stared at Max, "Okay, so far so good. Maybe she stayed in Afghanistan. Let's hope she did."

Scowling, Max growled, "She better have."

Concerned, Joseph shook his head slowly, "Max. . . ."

Holding up his hand, Max frowned, "Don't get your panties into a twist. I keep my promises. If she shows up, we'll take care of it and we'll do it in a kind and gentle way."

Suspicious, Joseph stared at Max.

Annoyed, Max stared back, "Get off my case. I keep my word."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the Royal Diner, Joseph was drinking a cup of coffee and picking at a slice of pie on his plate when he saw his son come into the diner. Smiling, he noticed that his son had actually gained a couple of pounds and he looked in good health.

Glancing up once is awhile, he watched his son and the younger man's partner talking. Staring at his pie, he finally decided to just eat the fruit and not the crust when he noticed Hannah Burley walk into the diner. Recognizing her from television, Joseph shook his head and exhaled slowly, "Shit."

Trying to observe with out being obvious, he saw his son stand up and hug the blond reporter while Temperance stood by. Irritated, Joseph placed his fork down, picked up his coffee cup, finished drinking the warm beverage and then pulled out some bills from his wallet to pay his bill. Keeping his face averted from his son, Joseph walked out of the diner as casually as he could.

Once he was out on the sidewalk, Joseph pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket. Hearing the connection made, Joseph spoke, "Okay, Blondie showed up. I'll be over at your place in about thirty minutes, more or less. Do you need me to pick anything up for you from the store? I have to pick up a prescription on the way."

Shaking his head, Max declined, "Nah, I just went grocery shopping two days ago."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Knocking on the door, Joseph waited a minute and then knocked again. Max, opening the door, shook his head, "Give me a minute to answer the damn door, Joseph, sheesh."

Ignoring the younger man, Joseph walked past Max into the apartment. "What do you want to do about Blondie?"

Walking back into the living room, Max asked, "Are you sure she's still his girlfriend?"

Snorting, Joseph sat down on the couch, "Well, let's see, she walks into the diner, he stands up and gushes all over her and then they lip lock. No, they obviously hate each other."

Holding up his hands, Max responded, "Don't be so bitchy. It was a good question. . . . I haven't put any thought into the problem yet. I was hoping she'd stay in Afghanistan."

Slouching in the corner of the couch, Joseph grunted, "Well she's here. Short of murdering her or hurting her we need to get rid of her."

Rubbing his nose, Max sighed, "Yeah."

Sitting in silence, Joseph remarked, "Maybe we can . . ." Shaking his head, he sighed, "No, that won't work."

Interested, Max leaned forward, "What won't work?"

Scratching his right ear, Joseph shook his head, "It's too simple and besides it might not work. I mean it depends upon what kind of person she really is." Shaking his head, Joseph sighed, "Nah, it won't work."

Exasperated, Max sat down on his recliner, "Joseph quit saying that and just tell me."

Studying Max's face for a few seconds, Joseph smiled, "Okay, but you'll have to do it. If it blows up in anyone's face it's going to be yours. Seeley likes me and I'm not going to screw that up. I don't give a shit if he hates you. You irritate him already anyway."

Snorting, Max smiled, "Wow. Okay, if throwing me under the bus will get rid of Blondie then I can live with that. Just tell me what the damn plan is."

Smiling Joseph leaned forward and spoke.

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	22. Chapter 22

Thank you for your continued interest in my story.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving at the Royal Diner, Max saw Booth and Hannah sitting at the table in the back. Annoyed that his daughter was absent and yet grateful at the same time, he walked over to the table and sat down next to Booth, "So, welcome back."

Surprised, Booth wiped his mouth with a napkin, "Oh, hey, Max, yeah, thanks."

Turning to stare at Hannah, the older man smiled, "Hi, I'm Temperance's father."

Smiling, Hannah held out her hand, "I'm Hannah Burley."

Shaking her hand, Max noticed that Booth was finished eating, "Mind if I join you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth shook his head and picked up his glass of iced tea, "I'm getting ready to leave, I have to meet up with Bones in about twenty minutes."

Spearing a cherry tomato from her plate, Hannah spoke, "You can eat with me. I don't have to be any where right now."

Winking at her, Max smiled, "Thanks. I hate to eat alone."

Standing Booth finished drinking his tea. He then pulled out his wallet, withdrew some bills from it and dropped it on the table. Walking around Max, Booth leaned over and kissed Hannah, "I'll see you later."

Smiling, Hannah kissed him back, "You're on."

Watching him leave, Max remarked, "I see he's doing okay, thank God. I was really concerned when I heard he re-upped for a year. I mean he was still recovering from brain surgery for crying out loud. That piece of skull they set back in his head hadn't completely healed yet and there he was going into a war zone. That scared the hell out me; but, I guess I didn't have anything to worry about after all."

Frowning, Hannah placed her fork down and leaned back against her chair, "Seeley had brain surgery? May I ask why?"

Giving his order to Jane, Max smiled and turned back towards Hannah, "He had a brain tumor. He didn't tell you about it? It was pretty serious. My daughter figured out something was wrong when he became delusional. He was seeing a cartoon character and he actually had a conversation with it. Tempe said that she should have put it together sooner since a few months earlier he'd seen and talked to man he knew was dead and he also said he'd talked to Luc Robitaille. Of course he'd seen the ghost when he'd been kidnapped and almost killed and I think he saw Lucky Luc when he fell on some ice and hit his head."

Staring at Max, Hannah frowned, "He talked to cartoon characters and ghosts?"

Pursing his lip, Max looked at Jane as she delivered his coffee, "Thanks, Sweetheart."

Glancing back at Hannah, Max shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, that brain tumor liked to scared the hell out of everyone. He was in a coma for a few days after the surgery and we were all scared he'd stay like that forever. We didn't know he was sensitive to anesthesia. Tempe stayed in the hospital with him for several days while he was in the coma to make sure he was getting proper medical attention. You know from now on he has to be careful about any surgery he has done. It's in his medical records and Tempe has a copy of his medical history on a USB drive she carries around in her purse plus his medical proxy. You never know with brain tumors. He has to have a checkup every year to make sure it doesn't come back. Tempe says those things are unpredictable and in the future it could return."

Staring holes in Max, Hannah asked, "Why does Temperance have Seeley's medical proxy?"

Moving back so Jane could place his order in front of him, Max smiled, "Thank you."

Answering Hannah, Max frowned, "Well you know, they have dangerous jobs. Since they've started working together, Booth has been blown up by a refrigerator, he's been shot at least twice that I know of . . ."

Holding up her hand, Hannah asked, "He was blown up by a refrigerator?"

Laughing, Max picked up a French fry and popped it into his mouth. After swallowing it, he explained, "Oh, yeah, some hit man planted a bomb in Temperance's apartment fridge and Booth was staying the night with her. He opened the fridge and it blew up. It almost killed him. It was bad enough to hospitalize him for a few days that's for sure."

Shaking her head, Hannah asked, "Wait, Seeley was staying the night with Temperance? I thought they are just partners and well friends."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max answered, "Sure they've been partners for years now."

Pulling her wallet out of her purse, Hannah pulled out enough to pay her bill and placed it on the table. "I have to go. It's been nice meeting you."

Nodding his head, Max picked up his ham sandwich. "Same here."

Watching her leave the diner, Max took a big bite of his sandwich and smiled.

Oooooooooooooooo

Meeting Joseph in the Park, Max found him near the park entrance. Sitting down across from him, he reached over and moved a white pawn, "So, ask me how it went."

Moving a black pawn in answer to Max's opening move, Joseph asked, "So how did it go?'

Laughing, Max shook his head and stared at the chess board, "God she turned at least three shades of white. She was frothing a little out of the corners of her mouth when she left. I feel sorry for Seeley. That is going to be a hell of a conversation the next time they talk."

Staring at Max, Joseph sighed, "If I were you I'd leave town for the next few weeks. He does carry a gun you know."

Amused, Max nodded his head, "Not a problem. I'm going down to North Carolina to visit Russ and then I plan to drive up to New Jersey to visit a friend of mine. I plan to be gone for about a month. You remember to check in with Boyd once in a while and see if I have anything I need done. . . . Oh and do not under any circumstances go to my apartment and clean it. I hired a woman to come in twice a month to make sure the place is up to your standards."

Smiling, Joseph laughed, "Well it's about time."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thanks.


	23. Chapter 23

Thanks for your continued interest in my story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in his apartment, Joseph was eating dinner when he heard a knock on his door. Cursing, he put his fork down and walked over to the entrance. Opening the door, his scowl quickly turned to a grin, "Hey you're back. It took you long enough."

Smiling, Max walked past Joseph and exclaimed, "Wow, what's that smell? You didn't make veal scaloppini did you?"

Following Max, Joseph laughed, "Sure did, I have enough for you if you want some."

Concerned, the younger man shook his head, "I don't want to make you short, Joseph. I know you like to make enough to last a few days."

Frowning, Joseph shook his head, "If I didn't want you to have any I wouldn't offer. You want some or not?"

Sitting at dinning room table, Max stared at Joseph's plate, "You know I can't say no to your scaloppini."

Grinning, Joseph retrieved a plate full of his specialty and brought it to Max. Placing the plate in front of his friend Joseph sat down, "So, it's been five weeks. Think it's safe to be back, yet?"

Nodding his head, Max sighed, "What's he going to do kill me? Is it my fault he didn't tell his girlfriend about his past? . . . No, it isn't. Tempe said that Blondie dumped Booth I mean Seeley quicker that you could say adios amigo. She said that he was mad at me for having a big mouth; but, the last time he mentioned it he wasn't so angry. She said that her partner finally admitted that keeping his past a secret from his girlfriend was the wrong move and that anyone could have mentioned it at any time."

Forking some veal in his mouth, Joseph chewed slowly. Swallowing, he sipped some grape juice and then responded, "Well, sounds like it might be safe to be around him now. I saw him a few days after your intervention and the look on his face was pretty dark. He ran through the park like a demon was after him. After a few days, he settled down and he seemed to be normal to me. I didn't try to talk to him though. I didn't want him to associate Blondie dumping his ass with my face. People do that you know."

Cutting his scaloppini into smaller pieces, Max smirked, "Yeah, well, Tempe says he says he's over her. She says that he's sad; but, he's been sad since his surgery so it isn't anything new."

Placing his fork down, Joseph picked up his glass of juice and sipped it. Staring at Max, Joseph frowned, "Okay, we screwed up Seeley's sex life, now what?"

Puzzled, Max swallowed his bite of food and asked, "What do you mean, now what?"

Pursing his lips, the older man placed his glass down, "We got rid of Blondie because we want Seeley and Temperance together. Well, I hate to break it to you; but, but those two have been making cow eyes at each other for a long time and nothing has happened yet. If we wait for those two to put the moves on each other, I'll be dead and buried first. We busted up Seeley's relationship and I think it's time we found a way to make them see each other as something more that partners."

Surprised, Max asked, "You want to play matchmaker?"

Exasperated, Joseph grumped, "If that wasn't part of the plan then why the hell did we break Seeley's heart over Blondie? Of course we're going to play matchmaker. I just haven't figured out how we can do it that's all."

Rolling his eyes, Max shook his head, "Match maker to a cop and my baby girl, God what's the world coming to?"

Glaring at Max, Joseph responded, "Oh please, you want your daughter to hook up with my boy worse that I do and you know it."

Stabbing a piece of veal, Max smirked, "God can you imagine the grandkids they'd give us? God help him if he has a daughter by my Tempe, he'll have to beat off the boys with a stick."

Oooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the park, Max was playing chess with Joseph when he felt someone looming over him. Looking up, he found Booth leaning over him.

Calmly, he greeted the obviously angry man, "Oh, hey Booth, long time no see."

Frowning, Booth crossed his arms across his chest, "You have a big mouth, Max, anyone ever tell you that?"

Careful not to move, Max stared up his daughter's partner, "I don't know what that means."

Glaring at Max, his nostrils flared, Booth finally sat down on the bench next to the chest table. Leaning forward, the agent frowned, "You have to know that Hannah left me."

Frowning, Max shrugged his shoulders, "Tempe mentioned it the last time I talked to her."

Angry, Booth leaned back on the bench, "Your big mouth was the cause of her dumping me."

Feigning surprise, Max placed his hands on his chest, "Me, how am I responsible for her leaving you?"

Pursing his lips, Booth stared daggers at the older man, "You told her about my brain tumor and the coma I was in. Why the hell did you do that? Why the hell bring up something like that anyway?"

Placing his hands flat on the table in front of him, Max glanced at a very quiet Joseph and then back at Booth, "Look, that conversation was innocent. All I said was that I was scared for you when you joined the army and went to Afghanistan. You were still recovering from your damn surgery and then you just took off for a war zone. I was afraid for you. Blondie, I mean Ms. Burley latched on to what I said and wanted to know about your surgery. How was I supposed to know you hadn't told her about it? I mean all of your friends and co-workers knew about it. How was I supposed to know you were keeping it a secret from your girlfriend? You need to pass on those kinds of things to your friends and family if you want to do shit like that."

Exhaling slowly, Booth continued to stare at Max, "You aren't a friend or family."

A flash of irritation crossing his face, Max retorted, "I'm more of a friend than you know. Still you're my daughter's best friend and partner and that makes me your friend whether you like it or not."

Moving his gaze to the park entrance, Booth stared for awhile. Ignoring Booth, Max resumed playing chess with Joseph. After a few minutes, Booth returned his gaze to Max and stood up, "Call Temperance when you get the chance. She mentioned that she hasn't heard from you in two weeks and she's starting to worry about you."

Surprised, Max smiled, "Tempe's worried about me?"

Sighing, Booth rubbed the side of his head, "Bones worries about her loved ones, Max. You have to know that she doesn't completely trust you not to just take off and never contact her again. If you want to be in her life, call her at least once a week and let her know when you're going to be out of town for long periods. The only family she has is you and Russ. I won't like it if you break her heart again. You won't like what I'll do to you if you ever hurt her again."

Nodding his head, Max responded, "Thank you, Booth. Thanks for the heads up."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth walked away.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Reviews would be great, thanks. What do you think of my story?


	24. Chapter 24

Thank you for your generous reviews.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Entering Joseph's apartment, Max noticed that it wasn't as neat as it normally was. Concerned he looked around and shook his head, "Joseph, are you doing alright?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the older man responded, "I've been a little weak lately and I've let a few things slide. Don't worry about it. I was planning on giving the place a good cleaning tomorrow. I just had one of my down periods that's all."

Picking up some folded clothes and placing them in the clothes basket sitting on the couch, Max picked up the basket, "I haven't got any thing to do. Tell you what, we can do it together right now and knock it out in no time. Then we can go to that movie I wanted to see. I tried to get my daughter to go with me; but, she and Seeley have a trial they're involved with and they're going to practice their testimony today."

Shaking his head, Joseph protested. "I can clean my own apartment thank you very much."

Exasperated, Max shook his head, "Did I say you can't . . . No, don't be so thin skinned. You're supposed to drive up with me to New Jersey tomorrow remember? You can't do that and clean your apartment. Come on, quit wasting my time. It won't take long for us both to clean this place up."

Suspicious, Joseph remarked, "I thought the New Jersey trip was the day after tomorrow."

Carrying the basket into Joseph's bedroom, Max called back, "It was; but, Boyd needs me to be in Baltimore the day after tomorrow. Something had to give. I guess we'll drive up to New Jersey and then on to Baltimore the day after. You can keep me company while I drive."

Shrugging his thin shoulders, Joseph walked in to the kitchen to see what he needed to tackle first.

Max, placing the folded clothes in the dresser called back to Joseph, "Hey, I know what we can do about the kids."

Curious, the older man asked, "What?"

Finished putting the clothes up, Max turned and stripped Joseph's bed and changed the bedding to a set he found in the closet, "Well, I was thinking about having Thanksgiving at my place. I'll invite the kids and Russ and his family and you too. Then while they're in a family setting we'll talk about love and being married and all that good bullshit and get them to see the joy of being married. . . . What do you think?"

Rolling his eyes, Joseph responded, "Boy that's lame. You're a terrible matchmaker."

Irritated, Max pulled the fitted sheet on the mattress, "Okay bright boy, what's your plan?"

Smiling, Joseph swept his kitchen floor, "I want you to find someone to make a play for Temperance."

Startled, Max turned and walked out of the bedroom, "Are you nuts? You want me to set up Tempe with some other guy? How does that get Seeley and Tempe together?"

Laughing, Joseph stopped sweeping and stared at Max standing in the doorway. "Haven't you ever heard of the green eyed monster?"

Opening his mouth and then closing it, Max thought about it. "You know that just might work. Still I'd have to be careful that Tempe really didn't get interested in our bait."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph smirked, "Oh please. Use Boyd's cousin, what's his name, Benson. That guy is scared shitless of you. Explain to him what you expect from him and he'll do it. . . . Come on, Max the guy is perfect. He's got a body like a Greek god and a face that belongs on a Michelangelo statue. His biggest problem is he knows it too. Still, if we want to get Seeley's blood boiling then I think Benson would be just the guy to do it."

Thinking, Max nodded his head, "Yeah, it'd work alright. I just hope it doesn't end in a homicide. It seems a little risky to me. That kid of yours has a temper."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph frowned, "Yeah, but he controls it a hell of a lot better than I ever did mine. He won't go after Benson. Seeley isn't that kind of a guy. What should happen is that it might open his eyes to the possibility that he could lose Tempe if he doesn't start moving their relationship forward. That retreat he and she do when things get a little too hot has to stop. I think if he saw Benson trying to get Tempe interested in him, it might make Seeley make a move."

Sighing Max turned and walked back to the bedroom. Throwing the top sheet on the bed and tucking in the corners, Max called out, "I'll talk to Benson when we get back from Baltimore."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Walking into the Royal Diner, Max smirked when he saw his daughter and her partner sitting at the back table. Turning towards Benson, the older man frowned, "Okay we talked about what you have to do."

Nodding his head, Benson frowned, "I got it, I got it."

Arriving that their table, Max smiled, "Can I join you?"

Looking up, Brennan smiled, "Sure Dad."

Sitting next to Brennan, Max pointed to the other chair and Benson sat down, "This is a friend of mine, Benson Palmer."

Smiling, Brennan stared at Benson, "Hello."

Frowning, Booth turned to stare at Benson and decided that he didn't like what he was seeing.

Benson, leaning towards Brennan, held out his hand and flashed his perfect teeth, "Hi, Max has told me a lot about you. I think anthropology is a fascinating profession. I asked if it would be okay to meet you and he didn't think you would mind. I read that article you wrote for 'Popular Anthropology Magazine'. Your article on the evolution of language amongst the Native Americans of South America was fascinating."

Nodding her head, Brennan remarked, "That was my first article for that particular magazine."

Flashing his bright white teeth again, Benson nodded his head, "I hope you write more articles. I really love what you wrote. It was very informative and very technical. I just thought it was refreshing to see someone not dumb down information for the average guy."

Pleased, Brennan smiled, "Thank you."

Placing his hands on the table before him, the Greek God continued to smile, "You're very welcome Temperance."

Booth, folding his arms across his chest, glared at Benson and then at Max.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

So what do you think of their plan?

jsboneslover: Booth has seen Joseph several times. He doesn't recognize him for several reasons. He hasn't seen his father since he was a child. Joseph is old and very sick and that changes your appearance. He also has a beard and mustache which he didn't have as a younger man. Last, we only see what we expect to see. It's human nature. Booth doesn't expect to see his father hanging around him so he all he sees is Joseph not his father.


	25. Chapter 25

Thank you for the wonderful reviews.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooo

Sitting in Max's apartment, Joseph picked up the blueberry scone Max had bought at a bakery and took a bite. Smiling, he chewed and spoke around his bite of pastry, "Man these are good."

Smirking, Max watched Joseph take another bite, "They should be. Those people at the bakery charged me enough for them. Still, you get what you pay for and I really like them. So, you want to hear what Tempe told me about your son?"

Curious, Joseph took a drink of milk and smiled, "Fire away."

Nodding, Max leaned back in his chair, "Well, Benson went by the Lab the day after I had them meet at the diner. He waited across the street until he saw Seeley's truck pull into the parking garage. The boy said he sauntered in to her office like he owned the place and asked her if she'd like to go to lunch with him. He'd seen Booth I mean Seeley on the couch when he walked in; but he said he pretended like he didn't. He said he acted his ass off and feigned surprise when Seeley stood up and protested that he and Tempe were already going to lunch. Benson said the look on Booth's face was kind of scary."

Snorting, Joseph shook his head, "Hell, that kid is afraid of everyone. I don't get that. He's 6 feet two, he probably weighs 190 pounds and he looks like he works out all of the time and yet he's afraid of anyone that shows the least bit of testosterone. I don't get it."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max explained, "Benson's father was a junky. You don't want to know what he did to Benson when the boy was a child. He was probably eight years old when Boyd found out and rescued him. Boyd is about fifteen years older than Benson. He almost killed Benson's father over the whole thing. He beat him up so badly that the guy had to be hospitalized. Anyway, Benson is afraid for a reason."

Swallowing, Joseph turned pale. "Okay, sorry."

Shaking his head, Max sipped some of his coffee, "You didn't know. Anyway, Benson is a good kid and he's trying to overcome a lot of shit. He does pretty well and Boyd talked him into taking self-defense classes last year. He's doing pretty well and his confidence is growing with it. Still, someone like me or Booth or you scare the shit out him. This is a big deal for him, cornering someone like Booth is a challenge to him; but, so far he's done pretty well. He knows that he isn't going to be fighting Seeley so that helps. I had told him that the first time Seeley threatened him that he could walk away. I don't want to mess up Benson over this. I promised Boyd that nothing would happen to the boy."

Nodding his head, Joseph sighed, "Okay, I think I'd better change the way I talk to him. I just thought he was prissy and was afraid someone would mess up that pretty face of his."

Sipping more coffee, Max sighed, "Yeah, he's way too pretty for a man. That's been a problem for him. A lot of men take an instant dislike to him because he looks really hot. Of course, he's a chick magnet and Boyd has had to read the riot act to him more than once. Since he had that close call with an angry boy friend two years ago, he's been very careful about whom he dates. Thank God. He's a real puzzle. He's 29 years old but sometimes I swear he acts like he's 16 and then he'll surprise the shit out of me and act more mature than I am."

Breaking off a piece of scone, Joseph asked, "So tell me about what happened next."

Smiling, Max continued the story, "Yeah, Tempe agreed that Seeley and her had plans to go to lunch together; but, she invited the boy to go along. The boy said that Seeley lost all of the expression on his face."

Sighing, Joseph leaned forward, "His wall went up. That's not good. That means that he felt hurt and he didn't want Tempe to know it."

Sadly, Max agreed, "Yeah, I figured. Benson went to lunch with them and he said he tried to monopolize Tempe's time as much as he could; but, he said that Tempe got annoyed with all of the flirting and told him she wasn't interested in him sexually. He said the look on Seeley's face scared the hell out of him too. He said it was like Seeley was watching him like he was a bug and was just trying to figure out how to squash him without getting his shoes dirty. I told the boy to stop and not go near Tempe again. I'm pretty sure Seeley would never hurt Benson; but, it doesn't take much to scare the boy and I can't risk upsetting him too much. Boyd would never forgive me."

Nodding his head, Joseph captured his bottom lip between his teeth. Staring at his scone, he finally looked up, "Okay, you know what. We suck as match makers. I don't want to screw up their relationship and we can see Tempe isn't really interested in anyone else besides my boy if he she can snub Benson. Let's just forget it. Seeley probably got a little jealous; but, those two only have cow eyes for each other. They're just going to have to get their own shit together."

Frowning, Max shook his head, "We need to make them take each other more seriously."

Picking up a piece of scone, Joseph smiled, "They do take each other seriously. They're just afraid to make a wrong move."

Shaking his head, Max responded, "Tempe and Seeley are not going to connect unless they can see they're going to lose each other. This has been going on for years. They both have nerves of steel as far as I'm concerned."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph moved his plate away from him, "They already know they belong to each other. Sooner or later they'll have to get brave enough to make a move. Us fiddling isn't going to make it go any faster. Let's just stay out of it, okay Max?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max frowned, "Sure."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the Royal Diner, Max and Boyd's daughter, Candice saw Booth and Brennan enter the diner at the same time. "Are you sure you know what you're doing Uncle Max. This seems like a nutty idea to me."

Patting her hand, Max shook his head, "Come on this is going to be fun."

Waving his hand, Max called out as his daughter and her partner came closer, "Hey, why don't you join us?"

Smiling, Brennan moved to their table and sat down across from Max. Booth, taking the remaining seat, sat down across from the young woman sitting next to Max.

Smiling, Max pointed to Candice, "This is a daughter of a friend of mine, Candice Palmer. Candice, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Tempe and her partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth."

The lovely young woman reached out her hand towards Booth, "I'm so happy to meet you. I'm going to college right now. I'm trying to get my master's in Criminology. Once I graduate, I plan to apply to the FBI."

Smiling, Booth shook Candice's hand, "That's great to hear. The FBI is always looking for good candidates. How long before you graduate?"

Smiling shyly, Candice watched Booth release her hand and she let it rest on the table, "Well, I'm on an accelerated course and should graduate in three years instead of four. I was wondering if you could tell me what I can expect if I'm allowed entry into the FBI Academy and what it's like to be an agent. I've been training in self-defense since I was in junior high school. I almost made it in to the last Olympics but I just didn't quite have what it took to be picked. I was one under the wire."

Impressed, Booth responded, "Wow, that's very impressive."

Watching Booth lean towards Candice and talk to her with such enthusiasm, Brennan clearly was trying to keep her face neutral and clearly failing.

Oooooooooooooooo

What do you think of my story so far?


	26. Chapter 26

Thank you for your continued interest in my story.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Sitting on a bench near the coffee cart, Joseph was sipping coffee when he saw his son and Temperance run past him. Surprised, he felt his eyebrows try to escape into his bangs. Closing his mouth, he watched them as they stopped at the coffee kiosk and ordered coffee. After they retrieved their drinks they walked over to the bench across from Joseph and sat down.

Booth, noticing Joseph, waved at him. Smiling, Joseph nodded his head and finished his coffee. Trying not to watch the couple on the bench, the older man found himself feeling all glowy. Finally standing, he walked down the path and towards the entrance to the park. Pulling his phone from his pocket, Joseph waited impatiently.

"Max."

Glancing back at the distant couple, sitting well within each other's personal space, Joseph responded, "Our kids went jogging together this morning and they are currently sitting on a bench making goo goo eyes at each other. If they were sitting any closer one of them would be sitting on the other's lap. We need to back off and leave them alone. I think they're finally seeing each other and I don't want to screw it up."

Grinning, Max replied, "It's about damn time. I thought they'd never make the move."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph grinned, "Yeah, right? Let's just sit back and see where this goes. Don't meddle Max."

Affronted, Max placed his hand on his chest, "Who me? I wouldn't dream of it."

Snorting, the older man laughed, "Don't kid a kidder, Max. I know you. Leave them alone and don't push. I think the momentum is already set."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max finally responded, "Alright. We'll see."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Several weeks went by and Booth and Brennan seemed to be around each other a lot more than they normally were and as far as Max was concerned that meant all of the time. He didn't want to stick his nose in to their business at the moment but those constant touches to the hands and arms were driving Max to distraction.

"Joseph, I'm telling you they're sleeping together."

Shrugging his shoulders, the older man moved his white queen on the board, "Good."

Frowning, Max studied the chess board closely, suspicious that the queen appeared to be so vulnerable. "Yeah, well, we are talking about my daughter."

Rolling his eyes, Joseph reached over for his can of coke and took a drink. "God, Max you are so. . . I don't know. What did you think would happen? We wanted them together. They probably are. They're probably having more sex than rabbits in heat. God knows those two are like two tectonic plates. Rubbing and grinding against each other for years until the pressure is too much and one of them gives." Laughing, Joseph watched Max hesitate over a move. "How was that for analogy or would that be a metaphor? I've been out of school too long."

Removing his finger from his bishop, Max took Joseph's queen and smirked, "Got you, you bastard."

Moving his bishop, Joseph smirked, "Check mate."

Stunned, Max glared at the board, "You sneaky son of a bitch."

Laughing, Joseph watched as Max tipped his king. "I didn't tell you to take my queen."

Sighing, Max started to set up his side of the board again. "Okay, anyway, if they are sleeping together, they sure aren't saying anything to anyone about it."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph sipped his coke and then reset his side of the board. "I'm sure they have their reasons."

Moving a pawn, Max rubbed his neck, "You know Tempe doesn't believe in marriage? I think I've mentioned it to you."

Nodding his head, Joseph moved a pawn, "Yeah, I remember. I'm hoping she'll change her mind. I really hope they give me another grandchild before I die. They need to hurry up too. I don't have that long."

Frowning, Max shook his head, "Bullshit. You look pretty good lately."

Smiling sadly, Joseph watched Max make his next move, "I'm dying, kid. You know that. It's just taking awhile that's all."

Swallowing, Max asked, "Would you be interested in a liver transplant?"

Shaking his head, Joseph looked at the serious look on his friend's face, "No. I won't deprive someone a shot at a liver. I'm old and my time is almost up. I'm ready. My boys are doing okay. Seeley may finally be happy. Dad is doing okay. You're the only one that will miss me when I'm gone. Well, I hope you'll miss me anyway. You're the only friend I have, Max. The only one."

Feeling his throat tighten Max nodded his head, "I will miss you, you old fart."

Laughing, Joseph shook his head and sipped his coke, "You'll probably miss my veal scaloppini more, still I'm glad we met Max. You helped me to get closer to Seeley. He may not know who I am; but, I don't care. He likes me. He waves at me and he talks to me. I didn't think that would ever happen. Now he's seeing your daughter and he's happy. I've probably never been as happy as I am right now."

Watching Joseph move his knight, Max studied the board closely, "You're a pretty good friend, Joseph. I've never had a friend like you before. You don't mind getting your hands dirty and you don't do it for money, you do it as a friend."

Smirking, Joseph captured one of Max's knights, "When are you going to go legit? You don't need to keep up your enterprises. You have a lot of money. Just stop before you get caught. You can retire comfortably."

Sighing, the younger man watched as another pawn was taken, "Maybe I should. Tempe would be pissed if I ended up in jail. I'm an embarrassment to her as it is."

Watching Max take a castle, Joseph grinned, "Then stop." Moving his queen, Joseph leaned forward, "Check."

Exasperated, Max studied the board, "Damn it. Okay, stop talking. You're distracting me."

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Joseph leaned back and watched Max struggle to keep his king safe.

Oooooooooooooo

Reviews would be great. Thanks.

A/n: I am going on vacation this Saturday. I will be gone for two weeks. If I can find Wifi where I am at, I will update my stories with my phone. If not, then I will update as soon as I can. I have chapters waiting to post.


	27. Chapter 27

(The Bullet in the Brain)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I am glad that interest is picking up for this story. For awhile, I worried that it might be too boring.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Watching "The Young and the Restless" Joseph was startled when a news bulletin interrupted his show. Since the news was about the Gravedigger arriving at the Courthouse for a hearing, he suddenly felt keenly interested and was no longer upset that his show was being blocked by talking heads.

The reporter made it a point to show the massive demonstration taking place in front of the courthouse and then had his cameraman focus on the FBI Agent in charge of security while the Gravedigger was being moved. Noticing his son giving instructions to several agents, Joseph smiled.

Upon the arrival of the serial kidnapper/killer the crowd seemed to become more vocal and active. Watching the Gravedigger unloaded from the truck and being escorted to the steps leading to the entrance of the building, Joseph was stunned to see the woman's head suddenly disappear from her shoulders. Watching his son grab a young man and move him to safety, Joseph stared at the body of Heather Taffet as she lay on the ground, surrounded by the bits of her head that just moments before had been attached to her neck.

The network suddenly cut off the feed and returned to the studio. Wanting to know what was going on Joseph shook his head in disgust.

His phone ringing, he reached over and snatched it from the coffee table, "Did you just see that? Did you see that woman killed? It's on TV. I can't believe I just saw that."

Interrupting his friend, Max spoke loudly, "Joseph, calm down for God's sake. Yeah, I saw it. That's why I'm calling you. I just wanted to make sure you knew that it looks like the only one hurt was that bitch. Seeley is safe. I saw him before they cut the feed."

Nodding his head, Joseph agreed, "Yeah, I saw that too. Man, someone was really pissed at that bitch. . . . Uh, Max you didn't do that did you?"

Rolling his eyes, Max answered, "No I didn't do that. I'm not even in D.C, you know that. I'm visiting Nancy. I told you that three days ago."

Shrugging his shoulders, Joseph watched the replay of the scene of Taffet being murdered on his TV, "Look it wouldn't be any skin off of my nose if you did it. That bitch almost killed our kids. She did kill a few people including a couple of kids. She got what she deserved."

Rubbing the side of his head, Max responded, "Yeah, well, I didn't do it. It was probably an irate relative out for revenge. I thought about doing it; but, well, I'm trying to reform. Killing her would be contrary to my new lease on life. Besides, I wanted that bitch to fry. I planned to be there when they did it too. Blowing her head off was too quick."

Practical, Joseph warned his friend, "Yeah, well, since you were responsible for you know who's demise, don't be shocked if my boy puts you on his suspect list."

Laughing, Max shifted his phone to his other ear, "Let him. I didn't do it and I can prove it."

Shaking his head, Joseph asked, "You coming back or are you going to visit Nancy for a little while longer?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max stared at the snow coming down outside his friends apartment, "I'll call Tempe later and get the lay of the land. I might come back to make sure they take me off their list of persons of interest."

Oooooooooooooooo

Sitting in his apartment, pouring himself and his friend each a glass of tea, Max shook his head, "God, kill some sorry bastard who deserved it and no one lets you forget. Your son won't take me off of his suspect list. He said I'm sneaky and he doesn't trust my restaurant receipts and air fare ticket."

Taking the glass from Max, Joseph laughed, "Bummer."

Glaring at his friend, Max groused, "Your sympathy is over whelming."

Patting Max on his shoulder, the older man smiled, "Come on. He can't prove the receipts aren't legit. If you did it he doesn't have proof that you did it."

A little indignant, Max shook his index finger, "Hey stop that. I did not kill that bitch. Someone else did it. I'm innocent."

Leaving the kitchen, Joseph walked over to the couch and sat down, "Okay, okay, I believe you. You didn't kill her. Fine. I sure would like to know who did it though."

Sitting on the couch next to Joseph, Max frowned, "Yeah, me too. Boyd is looking around, checking with some people we know at the Hoover and Larry over at the Jeffersonian. The minute they know, I'll know."

Sighing, Joseph drank some of his tea, "Well, whoever did it saved the tax payers a lot of money. I hope they don't find him."

Staring at the black screen of his television, Max frowned, "You know that had to be a hell of a shot. I mean, no one saw the shooter. It had to be a pretty long shot. I'll bet it's a pro."

His brow crinkling, Joseph observed, "Seeley could do a shot like that easy."

Squinting his eyes at his friend, Max finally responded, "Except he was in front of the building with cameras and lots of eyes on him when it happened. He didn't do it. . . I'd say it's lucky for him that he was where he was. If he'd been anywhere else, he'd probably be their number one suspect."

Irritated, Joseph protested, "Hey, my boy is not a murderer."

Shrugging his shoulders, Max responded, "Hey, I'm just stating the obvious. Your son is a trained sniper. He has some record in the Army for shooting some God awful long distance. I'm telling you, if he hadn't been in front of a bunch of witnesses proving he didn't do it, he'd be sitting in the Hoover right now being interrogated."

Sipping his tea, Joseph finally nodded his head, "Yeah, I guess you're right. At least fate helped him out this time."

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Reviews would be wonderful. Thanks.


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